Lazarus
by Pyewacket75
Summary: AU-Set after season 8 ends. After his best friend, James Wilson, dies of Cancer, Greg House continues to go into hiding under an assumed name, while slowly deteriorating. This story was written for camp NaNoWriMo and is very dark in places. Rated M for violence, coarse language and adult situations.
1. Moving On

**A/N: Hmm...where to start? This was my Camp NaNo story. It was supposed to be this dark, violent, twisted, perverse story that came from the deepest, darkest corners of my mind. It didn't end up quite that way. It is dark and depressing in places, and there is violence, sex, of course, coarse language and whatever else. **

**Basically this story is about House going off the deep end after Wilson dies from Cancer. It's not finished yet but I will finish it when I have time, as I know how I'm going to end it. All I ask is that you read this story with an open mind and don't get pissed off if/when you don't agree with something you've read. ITS ONLY A STORY. I have a tendency to hold back A LOT when I write. I haven't done it here.**

**Ye be warned.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own House or any of the characters belonging to Fox or David Shore. I'm not making any money off this. Nobody would buy this crap anyway.  
**

* * *

**Chapter one**

**Las Vegas, Nevada  
**

The sun set earlier in the southwest than Greg was used to. The room was getting progressively darker by the minute and soon he could barely make out Wilson's form in the bed. The constant drip of the Morphine was the only sound in the room. A not-so-gentle reminder of his friend's impending death. He was already exhibiting the signs that his time was almost up.

"House." The voice was barely a whisper but Greg heard it, and he sat down next to his best friend's bedside where he'd been holding a vigil for the past two weeks.

"Yeah?"

"I want you to promise me something."

Greg shut his eyes. This was it. He knew it was coming but he hoped it wouldn't. "I don't make promises. You know that."

"Yeah I know but I know you'll keep this one. Or at least I hope you will. Because if you don't, I'm going to haunt you for the rest of your life."

Greg chuckled. "You definitely know I don't believe in that life after death crap. Dead is dead."

"Don't underestimate the power of the great beyond," Wilson said in a very ominous voice. Then he started laughing at his attempt to be funny until he coughed. Greg handed him some water through a straw which he drank greedily until it was gone.

"So what do you want?"

"I want you to promise that you won't lose it. After I'm gone. That you'll keep on keeping on, just as you always have all these years. And if you find yourself in a place you feel you can't get out of, then you'll get help."

Greg sighed. It was a pretty tall order. One that he didn't want to fill. But then he felt Wilson's hand grasp his and squeeze. It was a strong squeeze, too. Stronger than he expected from a dying man. "House. You and I have been through a hell of a lot over the years, wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah."

"And awhile ago you said you'd grant whatever dying wish I had. Do you remember that?"

It was months ago, when they first started out on their cross country adventure, but he remembered.

"Yeah, so?"

"Well this is it. Please. Promise me that after I'm gone that you won't lose it and do something stupid."

Greg felt his eyes sting with tears and he was glad that it was dark so his friend couldn't see. Crying wasn't going to do any good anyway.

"Don't make me promise that, Wilson," he whispered. It was almost a cross between a whine and a desperate sigh. "You know I can't. You know what I'm capable of..."

"I know you can do this, House. You've sought help before. You can do it again. But you need to want it. You'll be okay, right?"

Greg closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Everything's been taken care of, you know," Wilson added. "This house, the bank accounts, your scrips. I made sure you'll have all that you need to get by. So what are you going to do as a man of leisure?"

"I haven't given it much thought."

"Well think about it. What do you want to do?"

"I met a guy who works at the Bellagio. He needs someone to play piano in the bar a few nights a week. Money's supposed to be decent."

"You don't need to worry about money," Wilson reminded him. With their combined assets sitting pretty in an offshore account, and Greg's secret stock portfolio, he was set for life.

"I know but it's something to do. A distraction. If I like it, I can whore myself out to other places. It's not like I can practice medicine anymore."

Wilson smirked. "But that won't stop you from trolling the medical forums and giving advice."

Greg pretended to look surprised and insulted. "Would I do that?"

"Yes."

"Damn you're good. Anyway, it's the only thing that keeps my mind off of things."

"I thought that's what the methadone is for."

"It takes the pain away but it can only do so much."

Wilson closed his eyes. "More water, please?"

Greg got up and went to the kitchen to refill the glass, and added a few ice cubes. That's when he felt a chill, as if someone walked over his grave and he turned and went back to the bedroom.

Wilson was already gone.

"Son of a..." he hissed as he placed his fingers against his friend's neck to seek the pulse he knew wasn't going to be there. "You fucking knew! What? Did you think I couldn't handle watching you die? Is that it? Well fuck you! I would've handled it just fine. And now you died alone! The very thing you didn't want so ha! The joke's on you!" House ran his hand through what was left of his hair and shook his head in disbelief. "I'm talking to a corpse. Great. Fucking great! You couldn't have waited a mere thirty seconds for when I came back with your glass of water? Selfish prick."

Still clutching the glass of ice water, he felt an irresistible urge to throw something so he threw that. It flew clear across the room and smashed into tons of tiny fragments when it hit the wall. As he stood there and surveyed the mess, he sighed. "Now I'm even more broken than before," he muttered and then left the room without a glance back.

X X X

A week later found House sitting in front of the head of Human Resources at the Bellagio casino hotel. The woman sitting across from him was older, British and clearly as bored as he was.

"Lenny tells me you play the piano very well," she said in a very obvious Yorkshire accent.

House shifted in the hard wooden chair. "Yes."

"Can you sing?"

"Depends on your opinion of singing. I'd rather not, if it's all the same to you. But find me a pretty girl in a hot dress to lie on top of my piano and you might be onto something."

She looked down her nose at him over her spectacles. "Are you trying to be funny?"

"Not really. It comes naturally."

"I must warn you mister...Lazarus...the Bellagio casino caters to an upper class clientele. People expect all the employees to have some kind of...class."

House blinked. He wasn't used to being called Mister, and he very nearly corrected the woman and reminded her that he was a doctor. But that was something he had to learn to live with. His doctor days were long behind him.

"I've seen your clientele and not all of them are upper class. This is one of the biggest tourist traps in the world, sweetie and they don't call this place Sin City for nothing. Hell, I saw a hooker and her pimp come in here just the other night. You call _that_ upper class?"

"Now see here..."

Greg stood up and leaned across the desk so they were practically nose-to-nose. "No, you see, you senile old bag. Lenny told me this job was mine as long as I showed up for the interview and gave an audition. So show me where the piano is and I'll show you what I'm capable of. But I'm not going to be some two bit lounge singer for hire, either. I'm doing this as a favor to Lenny because the other guy quit. I might stay and I might not. If you find someone you think can do better than me, then by all means do so. But I've had offers from other casinos and I don't need this crap. I'm here on a favor to Lenny."

The lady cleared her throat and looked visibly nervous. "Very well, Mister Lazarus. If you'll follow me, I'll show you to the bar where you'll be playing."

He nodded and followed her to the casino floor and she pointed to the Roland electric piano in the lounge where his friend Lenny normally tended bar in the evenings.

"Any requests?" he asked as he sat down on the soft bench and cracked his knuckles.

"Most people like blues or jazz. Easy listening kind of music."

House nodded and began to play the Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin. The woman looked impressed and clapped when he was done. "How about something slower?"

He thought for a second and then began to play Hymn to Freedom in the style of Oscar Peterson.

"Very nice. I suppose you'll want to know the salary."

"That would be useful," House replied as he kept playing, adding a drum beat to the song and speeding up the tempo a little.

"One hundred dollars a night and you'll keep all your tips."

House had no idea what the going rate was for a lounge pianist, but he didn't think it was that low. "A hundred bucks, huh?" He turned the music off and stood up. "Thanks but no thanks. I have a mortgage and bills like everyone else. The other places offered me at least twice that much. You want to match it, fine. But I'm not doing it for less than two hundred."

The woman glared up at him, but he could see her thinking about it and he was just about to walk away when she sighed. "Fine. Two hundred, three nights a week to start. Our busiest nights are Friday, Saturday and Sunday. That will have to do for now. If you prove yourself and the customers like you, you'll get more shifts. Is that satisfactory?"

House pretended to consider it and he nodded. "I'll be here Friday night."

"Six P.M. And dress appropriately. Do you have a nice suit?"

"A suit? Do I get a clothing allowance?"

"No."

"Then what I have will have to do for now."

He really didn't know why he felt the need to bluff so much. He had a few decent suits in the closet at home. But money was money, and he wanted it for many things. He didn't want to touch the money in his savings accounts if he didn't have to.

He went home to the empty house and took a look around. It was a mess. The girl who came to clean it once a week would be there tomorrow so he shrugged and tossed his helmet on the couch on his way to the kitchen. Glancing at his watch, it was almost time for his next Methadone dose so he poured himself the necessary amount and pounded it back like a shot.

Then he called Lenny.

Lenny Michaels was a bit of a low-life but he proved himself useful when he introduced House to a doctor at the nearby clinic who offered to write him prescriptions for Methadone. House was wary of taking it again, but the idea of being pain free was too good to ignore and he remembered how good it felt when he'd used it a few years back. He'd just have to be more careful this time. The doctor in charge, Dr. Kitson, was very adamant about keeping track of the doses and there hadn't been any issues like there were the last time he'd taken it before.

"_Did you get the job?"_ Lenny inquired as soon as he answered.

"Yep. The old battleaxe in HR was only going to give me $100 night though."

"_Seriously?"_

"Yeah, but I managed to talk her into two hundred."

_"Sucker."_

"Yep. So I'll be working weekends."

_"Sweet. I'll be your wingman for all the chicks you're gonna pick up. The last guy went home with a different girl every night, with my help of course,"_ Lenny said proudly.

"I don't need a wingman. I can get a woman just fine, thankyouverymuch."

"_Uh-huh. Ya know, honestly, Greg, I thought you were gay."_

Greg closed his eyes and shook his head. "A guy can't have a best friend without it being sexual? What? Are you gay? Hoping I'm gonna hit on you?"

"_God no. I'm as straight as they come."  
_

"Yeah well so am I, asshole!"

"_Whoa, calm down, buddy. I'm just messin with ya. Your buddy Wilson on the other hand..."_

House gripped the phone so hard his knuckles were white. "Shut the fuck up about Wilson! You don't know what you're talking about." Then he ended the call and threw the phone across the room. It hit the sliding glass doors and broke into several pieces.

"Fucking hell!" he muttered.


	2. Guess what's why they call it the blues

**A/N: Well, some of you are hooked. Let's see if I can hook you further :) Or maybe even hook some new readers. If you're new to this story, and my writings, welcome :)**

**Chapter Two**

Greg arrived at work and Lenny gave him the tour of where everything was. His shift started at seven and when he came down, there was a slight applause as he took a seat at the piano bench. "Hi. I'm Greg, the new guy. I hope you enjoy yourselves tonight. Tips are much appreciated," he said as he pointed to the glass on top of the piano. "Thanks." He took a sip of his ice water, since hard liquor was a no-no while on Methadone, and began to play the intro to St. James Infirmary. At the end, there was quite an applause and he shyly nodded to the patrons before beginning a new song.

There was a young woman sitting across from him who kept glancing his way and he would occasionally smile back at her. She looked to be in her late twenties with glossy, long dark hair, hazel/green eyes and olive colored skin. He thought she might've been Greek or Italian. Maybe a combination of both. She was certainly a knock-out. Why did he always go for brunettes?

During his first break, he went to the bar to get another glass of ice water from Lenny. "You sound pretty good tonight. Making lots of tips?"

"Yeah it's a good night so far. I still have another set to do. I could get used to this."

"What's with all the blues numbers?"

"Well buddy, I just don't have a lot to be happy about these days."

The brunette walked by and smiled at House. When Lenny saw that, he slammed the glass down on the bar that he'd been cleaning. "Stay the fuck away from her," Lenny growled.

"Who?"

"Her."

"Does '_her_' have a name?"

"She's my ex. We dated for a year. Damn bitch broke my heart into tiny pieces. She likes the guys who work in bars. Thinks they're bad ass or some shit. Just do yourself a favor and stay away. She's nothing but trouble."

House watched her cross the bar and sit down at a table with two other girls. "I'm gonna take some air. Be right back." He took his drink and went outside into the warm October air. He couldn't get over how warm it was at that time of year. Back home he'd be freezing his ass off. Just then, the door opened and the brunette stepped out and shut the door behind her.

"Hi, Greg," she said in a low, husky voice.

"Hi, girl whose name I don't know."

"Kristy."

"Ah. Is that with a C or a K?"

"A K. Ends in y."

"Nice. You should go back inside now."

She frowned. "Why?"

"Lenny told me you're nothing but trouble."

"Is that so? What else did he tell you?"

"To stay the fuck away from you."

She took a step closer to him. "You don't strike me as the type to follow the rules."

"I don't. But I don't want any trouble with him either."

"Lenny's harmless. He talks a good game but he's really just a sheep in wolf's clothing."

House chuckled and then finished his drink. "I gotta get back inside."

"Do you take requests?" she asked him as she followed him in.

"What do you wanna hear?"

"Play Misty for me?"

He grinned and nodded. "Sure."

He returned to the bar, grabbed another ice water and played an upbeat song to get people in the mood before he began playing Misty. Lenny was on a break so Kristy wandered over and leaned against the piano as he played. "I love your blue eyes, Greg."

"Yours are pretty nice too. Are you Greek?"

"Part Greek, part Egyptian."

"Nice. I've lived in Egypt. When I was a kid."

"Cool. I lived there for awhile myself. Great country. Lots of history."

"Yep. I was around twelve when I lived there. I spent a lot of time looking for Mummies."

Kristy giggled. "Did you find any?"

"Nope. But not for lack of trying."

Lenny returned to the bar and scowled when he saw Kristy talking to Greg. When the song ended, people clapped, and some came by to toss money into the tip glass on their way out. Greg thanked them graciously and continued playing. He could feel Lenny's eyes penetrating his back but he ignored it. Kristy returned to the table she'd been sitting at and stayed there for the rest of the night. When he finished his shift, she was gone, and so was Lenny so he headed out to the parking lot to find Kristy sitting on the seat of his motorcycle. Deja vu flashed through his head as he remembered a certain teenage blonde with a crush on him doing that very thing.

However, something was off about her. The hair that had been tied up earlier was hanging in her face as if it were trying to cover something up.

"I thought you'd gone home," he said as he approached.

"I was going to. But I kinda ran into Lenny," she said, and then brushed her hair back to reveal what looked to be a serious shiner. No doubt it would be black and blue by morning. Greg gripped his keys.

"Lenny did that?"

"Yeah," she whispered, refusing to look at him.

"I thought you said he was harmless?" his voice rose as he placed his fingers under her chin and tipped it up so he could get a better look at her swollen eye.

"He is. Or at least he was. Can you give me a ride home?"

"How did you get here?"

"Taxi. My car's in the shop right now."

"Do you have an ice pack at home? You're going to need one."

"Is it that bad?"

"Yeah. It's that bad."

"I have ice. Or a bag of frozen peas."

Greg nodded and handed her his helmet. "That'll do. Hold on." He climbed onto the bike and upon her directions, drove her into a less desirable part of Las Vegas and parked in front of a run-down apartment building.

"You live here?"

"Yeah. I know it's not much but the rent is cheap and it was already furnished." He followed her into the building and as soon as she opened the door to her suite, hot, stale air smacked him in the face.

"Jesus, it's like an oven in here. How do you sleep?"

"I have a fan in the bedroom." She went to the kitchen and made an ice pack for her face. "Cold beer?"

"Sure," he said, looking for a place to sit down. Her apartment was no bigger than his own living room and he took the beer she offered him. It was the only thing in her place that was cold.

"So how long have you been in Vegas, Greg?" Kristy asked as she took a seat on the couch next to him as she held the ice pack against her face.

"Not long. A month. We weren't planning to stay here but plans changed," he said softly and took a sip.

"We who?"

"My friend, Jimmy. He got sick."

"Where is he now? In the hospital?"

"No, he's dead. I buried him last week."

Kristy placed her hand over his and gave it a squeeze. "Oh, I'm sorry. He was your boyfriend?"

Greg blinked, and then started laughing as he remembered the incident with Nora, one of the neighbors from when he and Wilson lived together.

"No, he and I didn't polish each others swords. Jimmy and I had been friends for a long time. We worked together." He closed his eyes and wished he could take that last bit back. Damnit! He hoped she'd drop the subject all together.

But she didn't.

"Oh? Where did you work?"

"Back east."

Kristy gave him a strange look. "You like talking about yourself, huh?"

Greg rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Oh yeah." He finished the rest of his beer and put the empty can on the coffee table. "Look, it's late and I'm wiped out. Thanks for the beer."

Kristy saw him to the door and he took the ice pack away to examine her face. "Keep ice on it as much as possible. Then maybe it won't look so bad in the morning."

"Thanks, Greg. For everything."

He shrugged. "It's no big deal. Happy to help."

"Greg," she said, placing her hand on his arm. He looked down at it, then at her, and she removed it just as quickly. "Can I see you again?"

"I'll be at the bar tomorrow and Sunday night. Maybe I'll see you then. Although you might want to stay away if Lenny's working those nights. I don't want to see you with Irish sunglasses."

"I can handle Lenny. He just took me by surprise, that's all."

"Yeah well next time you might not be so lucky. Just lay low for awhile."

"You still didn't answer my question."

"What question?"

"Can I see you again?"

"Maybe. G'night, Kristy."

Greg went home and took his last dose of Methadone before getting undressed for bed. He made a mental note to himself to talk to Lenny about Kristy. He was definitely intrigued by her. She was pretty and smart, and might do as a pleasant distraction for awhile. But he didn't need Lenny watching over his shoulder all the time. In fact, he didn't need Lenny at all. He served his purpose and House was more than happy to cut him loose if need be. He already had a best friend and lost him. He didn't want to go through that again with anyone else.

X X X

Lenny opened the door and was met with a fist to his jaw that snapped his head back and knocked him down. "What the..."

"That was for Kristy," Greg grunted as he rubbed his sore hand.

Lenny scrambled to his feet. "She's just a whore, man! She's a goddamn whore..."

He was met with another punch to his face that time and it kept him down. Greg stood over him, his face dark. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

"Oh like you haven't wanted to hit some bitch?"

"Wanting to and actually doing it are two completely different things. I watched my old man smack my mother around plenty growing up. I saw what it did to her. Kristy didn't deserve it. She broke your heart? So what?"

"Don't get with her, buddy. She'll rip your heart out."

"I just met her. And even if I did want a relationship with her, which I don't, I can take care of myself. If I see you near her again, I'll put you in the hospital."

"Fat chance of that. They fired me last night," Lenny said as he wiped the blood from his split lip.

"What?"

"They fucking fired me! Apparently someone watching the security camera saw me smack Kristy in the parking lot and I got hauled into head office."

"What did they say?"

Lenny rolled his eyes and used the prim and proper voice of the HR lady. "That is not acceptable behavior for a Bellagio employee and we expect our employees to maintain a certain decorum, blah blah blah. So I'm done there."

"Where are you going to go?"

"I can get a job anywhere. Bartenders are a dime a dozen and I'm a good one. Won't take me long."

X X X

Greg finished playing the last song of the evening to an impressive round of applause. It had been a few weeks already and word had gotten around fast about the amazing piano player at the Bellagio. He made over $100 in tips every night and if it kept up, he would be very happy. His salary was raised to $300 a night, hoping it would entice him to stick around and he had no intention of leaving anytime soon.

It did concern him that he hadn't seen Kristy since that one night, but he didn't have her number and he couldn't remember where she lived, since it was dark that night he drove her home. He put it out of his mind until Lenny invited him to go clubbing on his night off.

"It just opened. I'm friends with the owner so I'll give you the VIP treatment. I got us a private booth to watch the action from."

"Action? What is it? A peeler bar?"

"Yep. And the girls are hot. There's one in particular you might be interested in. I know you like the brunettes. I'll even buy you a lap dance."

"Sold. Let's go."

The place was busy for a Monday night but Lenny and Greg blew past the people in line outside and were escorted inside to their VIP table and given drinks on the house.

"This place looks good," Greg said as he glanced around. It seemed on the high-end side, with men in suits and their women dressed to impress.

"It is. They don't let just anyone in, either. You have to be on the list. And I made sure you're on it. You'll be able to come in whenever you want and not have to wait in line."

"Cool. So who's the girl you want me to see."

"She should be around soon. Looks like we missed the first act but she does lap dances between sets."

Greg had a couple of drinks by the time the girls came out and he saw her immediately. It was Kristy, and she seemed just as shocked to see him as he was to see her. "Oh man. You've gotta be fucking kidding me," he groaned as Lenny gestured her over.

"I thought you'd be thrilled."

"Greg..." Kristy sputtered, her face turning as red as her skimpy dress. "What are you doing here?"

"I brought him," Lenny said proudly. "He's getting the VIP treatment tonight so give him your best lap dance. It's on me."

Kristy turned her attention to Lenny. "How did _you_ get in here? This place doesn't cater to riff raff."

"Bitch!" Lenny hissed and got to his feet, but Greg was quicker to get up and stand between them.

"Sit down and shut up, Lenny." He glanced back at Kristy. "Look, you don't have to do this. I didn't know this is what he had in mind when he brought me here."

But her eyes were on him, looking him up and down. "No, it's fine. It would be my pleasure. See that lounge over there? Go have a seat and I'll be right there. I'll get you another drink."

Greg watched her go and then glared at Lenny. "What the hell is the matter with you? Bringing me here."

"I just thought you'd like to know that she really is a little whore, just like I said."

"Dancing in a club doesn't make someone a whore. But you're certainly treating her like one now. I thought you loved her."

"I did."

"And this is how you treat her?"

"Hey, she dumped me, man. She got what she deserved."

"You're a sick fuck, Lenny," Greg hissed as he got up and went to the lounge where Kristy was waiting. It appeared that she changed clothes and was now dressed in a sexy school girl outfit complete with a white blouse that was tied at the bottom in a knot and a red plaid skirt. On her feet she wore black platform heels and knee high socks.

"Cute," he said as he settled in his seat and watched her approach.

She bent over, placing her hands on his shoulders for support. "And you're sexy. Any requests before I begin?"

"Keep off the right thigh. Old injury."

"Is that why you sometimes limp?"

He wondered how she knew that but he nodded. "Yeah."

"No problem. Just sit back and relax," she whispered as she began swaying to the music. Her hands slid down over her breasts and untied the knot in her blouse so it fell open, revealing a red lace see through bra. He could make out her nipples underneath and his cock started to stand at attention.

"Can I touch you?" he asked when she sauntered closer and tossed her blouse at him.

"No," she said, almost looking apologetic. "At least not now. Not here. Put your hands behind your back like a good boy and maybe later you'll get your chance."

"Kinky," he grinned as he did as requested. She sat down on his good leg and rubbed herself against his thigh.

"I'm _very_ kinky," she whispered in his ear as she continued to gyrate against him. Then she got up and unzipped her skirt so it fell to the floor, revealing matching lace panties. "I think you and I could have a lot of fun together, Greg."

He looked up at her as she spread her legs a little, giving him a quick view of her core. Then she turned around and faced away from him as she sat down in his lap and rubbed herself against the bulge in his jeans. "Wow. You're a big boy, aren't you?"

Greg chuckled but nodded. "Yes I am." Reaching into his back pocket he located his cash, but soon his thoughts were lost as she was very enthusiastically riding his cock, rubbing herself and gyrating against it as she touched herself and groaned for his benefit.

It didn't take long to get him off and when he did, he arched his back and whispered her name as his eyes shut tight.

When he came to himself, she was sitting next to him, holding his glass of Scotch. He reached for his cash and tucked a hundred dollar bill into the waistband of her panties. "That was amazing."

"Glad you liked it. Come back again sometime. By yourself. I won't be letting Lenny back in when I'm working. Tony will understand."

Greg smiled at her, taking in her flushed appearance and quick breathing. She liked it just as much as he did, it seemed. "Can I see you later?"

"I hope so," she smiled as she traced invisible patterns on his good thigh. "I work weeknights but I have weekends off. Maybe I'll come watch you play. You can play Misty for me again."

"Anything you want."

She glanced over at Lenny who seemed like he was ready to leave and looked regretfully at Greg. "I should go. I have to do one more set before I'm off. Will you stay?"

He nodded. "I liked the schoolgirl thing. Wear that."

Kristy giggled as she got up. "Lose your friend and I will."

"Done."

He made his way over to Lenny and sat down. "I wanna stay for the next show. You can go on ahead. Thanks for the lap dance. It was hot."

"She's a hot little number, isn't she?"

"Yeah. Just do me a favor and stay away from her. I can take care of myself."

"Whatever man. I'll see ya."

Greg watched Lenny leave and then settled down to wait for Kristy to come out on stage. She didn't disappoint, and at the end, she came over to his table and he slipped another hundred into her cleavage. "I'll see ya around," he whispered.

She gave him a knowing wink and then she was gone again. He finished his Scotch and then went home himself.


	3. Feels Like the First Time

**[L]azarus**

**Chapter Three**

"You look hot tonight," Greg told Kristy as he sat at the bar during a break and sipped his ice water. And she did. She wore a snug V neck top, slim jeans and knee high black boots with a four inch heel.

"Why, thank you, kind sir," she giggled as he reached for his glass and took a sip. She almost spit it out and he laughed at her. "This is water!"

"I know."

"I thought it was gin and tonic or something."

"Nope. Sorry to disappoint. I don't drink."

"Why not?"

"Messes with my pain medication."

"For your leg?"

"Yeah."

"So..." she said, "Halloween is coming. Got any plans?"

Greg snorted with amusement. "No. I don't."

"I've been invited to this party. Costume party. Everyone's going to be wearing masks. Wanna go with me? I hate going to these kinds of things alone."

He narrowed his eyes. "Why do I get this _Eyes Wide Shut_ vibe?"

Kristy blushed and looked down at the floor. "I'd be lying if I said there wouldn't be anything kinky going on but there usually is. If you're not okay with that then we don't have to go."

"Is that your thing?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Sometimes. But then I think everyone has a freaky side. Whether or not they choose to explore it is up to them." She placed her hand on his good thigh, and he could feel her warmth. "Can I see you tonight, Greg? Afterwards?"

He nodded. "I think that could be arranged. But we'll go to my place. No offense but if I wanted a sauna I'd go to the gym."

Kristy giggled and shrugged. "Fine with me. Any place is better than that sweat box."

Greg played the next set, collected his tips and then Kristy followed him home in her car. When they pulled into the driveway, he glanced at her BMW convertible. "You must be doing pretty well," he said.

"Oh this? It was my Dad's. He wanted a bigger, newer model so he sold it to me."

"It suits you. But then a hot girl in a hot car is usually enough to turn my head. Come on." He unlocked the front door and stepped aside to let her in.

"Wow this is nice," she said as she looked around. The first thing that caught her eye was the baby grand piano in the living room. It was his from Princeton but when he decided to stay in Vegas, he had it shipped over with his other things.

"Can I get you anything?"

"Got a beer?"

"Yeah." He went to the kitchen and poured her a beer in a frosty glass that he kept in the freezer. Then he quickly took his dose of Methadone and washed it down with some orange juice. It wasn't the best tasting stuff, and he didn't want her to taste it if he kissed her, and he planned on doing much kissing.

"Here," he said as he handed her the frosty glass.

"Wow. Thanks." She took a couple of long sips. "So good when it's ice cold."

"Yeah."

She glanced at his glass of orange juice. "Aren't you having one?"

"Not right now. Have a seat," he said as he gestured to the living room. He had a long sectional couch that was big enough for several people and wide enough to lie down on, if the situation arose, and he hoped it would. Once they were seated, she smiled at him.

"So did you enjoy the show the other night?"

He grinned. "My hundred dollar tip wasn't enough of an indication?" he laughed.

"Well I was looking at you a few times. You seemed distracted."

"I was enjoying it. Trust me. What other costumes do you have in your arsenal?"

"Oh, this and that. Naughty nurse, slutty secretary, naval soldier...whatever I feel in the mood for."

His eyes lit up. I like the slutty secretary bit. "I'll bet you look hot in a short skirt and _come fuck me_ pumps."

"Maybe next time you'll get to see it."

"Maybe." He placed his hand on her knee and slid it up her thigh a little. "You work out," he said, feeling the hard muscles in her quads beneath the denim.

"Gotta keep in shape if I wanna dance."

"You look fine to me," he said and leaned over. She leaned over too and their lips met in a soft kiss. Lips gently brushing against lips and their hands reached for the others, fingers interlacing. He closed his eyes and let out a long, slow breath as she kissed him back just as gently.

"Your lips are so soft, but your whiskers are prickly."

"Don't like it?"

"No, no, it's fine. Just different. It's been a long time since I've kissed anyone, or gotten whisker burn," she laughed as she rubbed her lips which were quickly turning red. "I like it."

"I like you," he said and tugged on her hands to pull her closer to him as they kissed each other lazily, explored each others mouths with their tongues and she let out a gentle purring sound which made him deepen the kiss even more. It had been a long time since he'd sat on a couch and made out with anyone but he forgot how much fun it was. And Kristy certainly seemed to be enjoying herself, if her heavy breathing and nips with her teeth against his tongue were any indication.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and straddled his lap, sitting on his good leg and he slid his hands up and down her back, pulled the hem of her shirt from her jeans and touched her bare skin.

His hands felt so warm she groaned and pulled him as close as she could as her lips left his and slid down his neck, nipping and biting his earlobe and licking.

He let out a low growl and moved his lips down to her throat and licked until she groaned and buried her fingers in his hair. "Oh God, that feels so good." It was a mixture of pleasure and pain. His scruff scratched and tickled the sensitive skin of her neck as he moved his lips downward to the tops of her breasts. His hand reached behind her back and unhooked her bra, springing her breasts free. "Beautiful," he murmured, as he pulled her shirt over her head. "So beautiful," he whispered as he bent his head and slipped his hand down and gave one of her breasts a squeeze.

"Mmm Greg..." she moaned as he lowered his head and took one of her nipples into his mouth, sucking and nibbling until it turned into a hard bud. Then he let go and gave her other breast the same attention.

"I love your breasts," he whispered as he glanced up at her. His eyes were more blue than she'd ever seen them and they were half open, pupils dilated and full of lust. It was a huge turn on. She'd never experienced that with anyone else. But then, she hadn't had many men in her life. She was what some would call a "late bloomer" and she didn't really come into herself until her early twenties. She had always been on the heavier, curvy side but once she moved out of her parents house and got out on her own, she lost the weight, kept the curves and that's when men started to notice her.

"I love your hands," she grinned as she lifted one of his to her mouth and slid her lips over his thumb, drawing it into her mouth as she sucked on it, glancing at him to see his reaction.

He took a deep breath in and his eyes closed so she took that to mean he liked it. She gave his finger the same kind of attention she'd give his cock, which she couldn't wait to see. From the way he was rubbing against her core, she could feel that he was bigger than what she was used to and she hoped she was right. Of all the three lovers she'd had, he was the only one able to get her turned on by simply kissing and touching her. She could already feel her panties getting wet and she squirmed in his lap/

"Greg..." she moaned as he continued to touch and kiss each nipple with due care and attention, like there was nothing else he'd rather be doing. It made her feel good to know that he seemed to be enjoying himself as much as she was.

"Mhm?"

"Why don't we go to your bedroom?"

His lips moved up and he began kissing and licking the base of her throat which drove her completely wild and she began gyrating against him as her fingers buried in his hair.

"I think that's a very good idea. But first.." he said as he reached down and pulled one of her boots off, then the other. "As sexy as these are, they're kinda in the way."

She climbed off his lap and they walked down the hall to his bedroom. When she saw the king sized bed she was suddenly nervous. Greg must've felt it because he gently took her in his arms and started kissing her again as his hands slid down and unbuttoned her jeans. He pulled down the zipper and the jeans slid down her long legs so she kicked them to the side. Then she did the same to him, admiring his black boxer briefs that he wore underneath and the tent in them, showing her how excited he was. "Wow," she breathed as she stared down at his cock.

He smiled at her and began pulling her towards the bed, lowering her down onto it as he slid his hand over her panties, feeling her wetness. "Get these off."

"Same to you," she said as she tugged on the waistband of his shorts.

He seemed to hesitate for a few seconds but nodded and before long, they were both naked, lying on his bed as they faced each other in the darkened bedroom.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," she said softly, glad he couldn't see her blushing.

"What?"

"This. I haven't been with a guy since Lenny, and that was over a year ago. And he was...well, he was never like this."

"What was he like?" Greg asked, very curious.

Kristy giggled nervously as she slid a hand over his chest. "He was never big on foreplay. It was pretty wham bam thank you ma'am most of the time."

"What a pity," Greg chuckled as he slid his hand down over her hip. "Foreplay is the best part. Well, second best part. You can't have one without the other. But that's just me." He let his foot slide up and down her smooth leg and she practically purred as he kissed her again, his tongue dipping into her sweet mouth and they kissed lazily for awhile, touching each other.

"Good to know you feel that way," she whispered between kisses as her hands rubbed his chest, admiring his sculpted pecs and flat stomach.

"I like your body," she whispered as she touched him and then she leaned over and ran her tongue over one of his nipples. He hissed and grabbed a fistful of her hair. Very few women had been able to find one of his erogenous zones that quickly. Most women just went for his cock right away. But not Kristy. It was as if she knew exactly where to touch and with the right amount of pressure.

"I like yours too," he whispered as he rolled over so she was lying on top of him. Her core was right against him and he gave her a little nudge as he brushed the hair out of her eyes. "Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?"

She seemed to be embarrassed about that but she merely smiled and bent her head down to kiss him. Her lips were soft and sweet and at first he was fine with the gentle kisses. His hands slid down her back and rested on her ass. He gently squeezed and rubbed each cheek as she moaned.

"Feels good," she groaned before kissing him harder. Her tongue slipped past his lips and he sucked on it as he reached over with his free hand for the condoms in his top drawer.

"Yeah..."

They continued to kiss for another few minutes until she couldn't wait anymore. She grabbed the condom out of his hand and ripped it open. He watched as she rolled it down his shaft quickly with expertise and then he pulled her back down for another long kiss as he positioned himself at her entrance. He gasped when he felt her hand grip him tightly and guide him where she wanted him. At first she was happy just to rub him up and down, through her folds, teasing herself with it. "Oh God, Greg. You feel so hard..." she grunted as she arched her back and rubbed herself against him.

"You did that," he chuckled as he positioned himself and inched his way inside. "Ohhh. Yessssss," he hissed once he was all the way in. He pulled out and then pushed in again. She felt amazing! So tight and so warm. It took every ounce of strength not to lose it and end things too soon.

"Greg!" She gasped as she placed her hands on his chest and sat up straight as she began to ride him. Slowly. "God you're so deep."

He bucked his hips for her benefit and watched her breasts bounce upon each upward thrust. "Feels so good...!" he groaned as his hands reached up to grab her breasts. He half sat up and took one of her nipples into his mouth, emitting a loud moan from Kristy.

"Oh God, yes! Greg!" she groaned as she began to move faster, riding him harder, hitting that spot she craved. When he hit it, her whole body jerked and she moved faster. "Oh yes!" She screamed. "Greg! So close, so close! Fuck me!"

He gripped her hips and continued to buck up into her harder and faster. He loved a woman who wasn't afraid to ask for what she wanted, and Kristy certainly seemed to know what she wanted. One of his hands slid down the front of her body and began rubbing her clit. "Yes!" She screamed as she collapsed against him. "I'm coming!"

It didn't take her long to get there and when she did, she hit a gushing climax that sent House into his own wave of complete euphoria as he collapsed against the pillows, pulling her down with him so she was lying on his chest.

When their breathing was back to normal, she sat up and it looked like she was trying to find her clothes. Greg reached for her wrist and grabbed it. "Where're you going?"

"I thought you'd want me to go..."

"What makes you think that?"

"Well because..."

"Get back into bed. It's the middle of the night."

Kristy blinked. "You want me to stay?"

"You're not a hooker are you? Are you going to charge me to keep you here?" he snapped.

"Of course not!"

"Well then, get back into bed."

"But Lenny said..."

"I don't give a fuck what Lenny said." Greg patted the spot next to him, Kristy dropped her things and climbed back in, snuggling up to him.

"Let me guess, he called you a whore and somehow you believe him." When all she did was nod, he wrapped an arm around her. "Dancing in a club doesn't make you a whore. Do you have sex with any of those men?"

"No, never."

"Then you're not a whore. God, I really hate that word. Don't listen to anything that idiot says. And I don't want to hear you call yourself that again. Get it?"

She nodded, still completely sated and relaxed. "Got it."

He nodded. "Good."


	4. Eyes Wide Shut

**_A/N: Any medical mistakes in this chapter are my own and I was too lazy to do any research because at the time it was camp NaNo, and who has time for all that? So just go with it._  
**

**_Oh, and there's a threesome in this chapter. Just sayin ;)  
_**

**Chapter Four**

"This is nice," Kristy murmured as she yawned and stretched in bed next to Greg.

"Mhm," he mumbled and turned over so he was lying on his stomach.

"Are you hungry?"

He grunted even louder and she giggled. "Do you have any food in the fridge to make breakfast with?"

"Dunno."

She got out of bed and pulled her shirt on. "Something tells me you function better with caffeine. I'll go make coffee too."

Ten minutes later, Greg entered the kitchen and took his meds before reaching for the coffee that had just finished brewing. "Thanks. You didn't have to do all this," he said as he watched her cook up the last of the bacon and eggs he had.

"I was hungry. I somehow managed to work up an appetite," she smiled.

"Gee, I wonder why," he smirked.

"Sit down. It's almost ready."

They ate breakfast in silence before she got up to clear the table of the plates. "I gotta go."

"Okay."

"That's it?"

"What do you want me to say? You said you had to go. I have some stuff I gotta do myself."

Kristy nodded and went into the bedroom to finish dressing and came back out. "I had a great time last night. I hope we can do it again soon."

"Do _it_ again or see each other?" he said as he put the dishes in the dishwasher.

"Both," she smiled and walked over to him, her hips slightly swaying. She placed a hand on his cheek and leaned up to kiss it. "I'll see ya when I see ya."

Then she was gone and Greg let out the breath he didn't even know he was holding. A chill came over the room all of a sudden and he shivered. He looked around to see if there were any windows open but there wasn't so he went back to bed and slept for another couple of hours.

X X X

Greg was bored. Which was saying a lot. There was always something to do in Vegas. But he tired of his regular poker games, other games bored him and he didn't feel like going back to see Kristy perform on stage.

_"There's always porn,"_ a very familiar voice said out of nowhere. Greg turned around in the direction of the voice but there was nobody there.

"Who said that?"

There was a snicker, and then a laugh. Wilson's laugh. _"I've only been gone a month or so. You've forgotten me already? I can't say I'm not hurt, House."_

Greg stumbled back until he was leaning against the back of the couch in the living room. "I think I need to ease up on the Methadone."

_"Nah, it's not the methadone."_

"I don't need this. Go away and haunt someone else."

_"I don't want to."_ Wilson's voice was indignant, and he almost sounded like a child about to have a tantrum.

"Oh boo fucking hoo!" Greg shouted. "Get the fuck out of here!"

He listened for a couple of minutes and when it was clear that there was nobody but him in the room, he grabbed the keys to his motorcycle and went for a ride.

He needed to clear his head and think things through but he didn't know how or what to make of what had just happened.

Was he hallucinating hearing Wilson? He didn't believe in ghosts or any kind of after-life but how else could he explain hearing his friend's voice a month after he died?

He rode for about an hour on the highway until he turned around and came back to town, somehow finding his way to the Bellagio. He was going to just go home but he needed to pick up his paycheck anyway. Once he got it, he went to the casino floor and played poker until he got hungry enough to eat. Then he hit the buffet.

With a full stomach, he returned to his motorcycle and somehow found himself in front of Kristy's apartment building. He didn't know if she was there or not, but he knocked on her door anyway. When she didn't answer, he went home, took his meds and went to bed.

X X X

Greg was working on Halloween night and everyone was required to be in some kind of costume, so he decided to dress as the Phantom of the Opera. At the end of his last set, he was about to leave when he spotted Kristy, dressed like she belonged at some carnival in Rio, feathers and all. It was quite an outfit and left very little to the imagination.

"Are you ready?" she asked, sounding excited, her voice husky.

"For what?"

"The Halloween party, remember? I told you about it last week."

"Oh, the kink party. No thanks. Not in the mood."

Her face fell, and he almost felt bad. Clearly she'd had her heart set on it. "Please, Greg. Don't make me go by myself. We don't even have to stay long. I just...I want to go, and I think you'd enjoy it."

"You just want someone to keep the flies away," he said.

"I won't lie. There will be more men than women. I'd really like it if you'd come with me." Then she moved closer and nuzzled his neck, since she couldn't reach any higher without him bending over somewhat.

"I'll go. But not for too long. Okay?"

She smiled and gave him a squeeze. "You're awesome. Thank you."

"I'm not awesome," he grumbled as they left the hotel and went into the parking lot. "Where is this place?"

"Out in the valley. It's not far. Follow me. Oh, and you'll need to keep your mask on for the entire time. Everyone else will be wearing some kind of mask."

"What is it? A revival of the Eyes Wide Shut orgy scene?" he laughed, to which Kristy merely smiled.

"Something like that."

He stopped laughing and stared at her.

"Hey, don't look so surprised, Greg. They don't call this place Sin City for nothing. Besides, you're a hedonist. I would imagine this would be right up your alley."

He cocked his head to one side. "What makes you think I'm a hedonist?"

"Oh come on. Are you saying you don't want to have women following you everywhere? God, all I have to do is look into those big blue eyes and it gets me instantly wet."

His lips curved into a smile. "Really?"

Kristy slid his hands up his chest and linked them around his neck. "Really really. And just so you know, I'm not the jealous type. I'm willing to share my toys."

He looked down at her, smiling wider. He knew what she was saying and didn't need to be told twice. "I might take you up on that."

"Mhm," she murmured as she pressed her body against his. "I hope so. Because I don't plan on letting you out of my sight all evening."

"I just need to stop by my place on the way. I need to take my pain meds."

"Sure. You can leave your motorcycle at home. We can go in my car." She pulled his head down for a long, lingering kiss which left both of them breathless. "I'll take very good care of you tonight, Greg. I promise."

"I'm going to hold you to that."

X X X

They arrived at the front gates of a large mansion just outside of town and Kristy said something to the guard that Greg couldn't hear. The gates opened and she drove through and up the long driveway where several exotic cars and Limos were parked.

"I'm having déjà vu," Greg chuckled as he got out of the car and let her link her arm through his.

"Yeah, I suppose it is sort of reminiscent of that movie. Only this is much less creepy. It's just...people having fun and enjoying each other."

"I can get down with that."

"You'll have a good time, Greg, I promise."

They entered the house and walked through the foyer. There was a server holding a tray of champagne and Kristy took one for herself, drank it in three short gulps before putting the empty glass down and grabbing another.

"Go easy on that stuff," Greg warned her.

"Just a few butterflies, that's all."

"Just what exactly are you looking for to happen tonight?"

"Well," she said as she guided him into the living room where a group of people were gathered around, "a little of this, a little of that."

As they stood and watched a masked couple fuck their brains out on the floor, he couldn't help the erection that was threatening to begin. He was about to say something to that effect when Kristy excused herself to use the ladies room.

"Hello there," a female voice said from behind him. "Hi," he said as he turned around to face a tall red head. All she wore was a matching black lace bra and panties. She was tall, slim and athletic and her mask covered her eyes and was adorned with feathers.

"You're new here. Aren't you?" she inquired.

"How could you tell? Am I that obvious?"

She laughed. "Just a little." Then she gestured to the couple on the floor. "Do you like to watch?"

"Sometimes."

She reached up and gently touched his scruffy cheek just as Kristy returned and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Is she with you?" the stranger inquired.

"Yes."

"Perhaps the three of us could find a place more private."

"It's okay with me if it's okay with him," Kristy said and then both women looked at him.

"I think that might be a good idea," he said, his throat suddenly dry. The very idea of having two women at the same time was definitely on his bucket list. Grateful that he had thought to take his dose of methadone before coming, both women took an arm and led him down the hall to a corridor.

"Do you have a name?" Greg asked the stranger when she led them into a bedroom and locked the door.

"Brandy," she replied as she guided him over to the bed and sat down next to him.

Kristy immediately turned Greg's head towards her and kissed him. He could taste the champagne on her tongue as he returned the kiss, while Brandy began to gently stroke his bad leg.

He grabbed her hand and shook his head. "Don't touch that one. Old injury. Still hurts."

Brandy nodded and pushed the jacket he was wearing off his shoulders while he continued to kiss Kristy. His hand slid up and over Brandy's leg and his other hand did the same to Kristy.

Oh yeah, he could definitely get used to this.

"_House, you old dog_," Wilson laughed, causing Greg to stop. His blood ran cold again and he just sat there.

"Greg? Are you okay?" Kristy whispered.

"_Please, don't stop on my account_," Wilson said.

"_Wilson_," Greg thought, as he shut his eyes, "_if you can hear my thoughts, get the fuck out of here. Right now_."

There was another chuckle from Wilson, and then it was as if his voice was in Greg's head. "_I can hear you. And I'll go. I just thought it was a nice payback for the two women you got for me on our little getaway in the spring. You know, right after I found out I had Cancer_."

_"I remember. And we're even. Now get out!"_

_"Okay okay, I'm going. Have fun, House. That red head looks totally hot."_ Then it seemed that he'd gone, and Greg let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm fine. I just, have a bit of a headache," he lied, and gave them a smile.

Kristy looked like she was having second thoughts, but Brandy quickly straddled him and began unbuttoning his shirt. "I have a cure for that." Then she turned her head and began kissing Kristy while he watched in admiration. He honestly didn't think Kristy was the type to swing that way but he wasn't going to call her on it. She seemed as into it as Brandy was and so he let his hands explore both of them.

Brandy reached over and grabbed a bottle of champagne that she'd grabbed along the way to the bedroom and popped it open, spilling the foam all over Kristy's breasts, which Greg eagerly lapped up. He grabbed the bottle and did the same to Brandy, watching her as she unhooked her bra and tossed it over her shoulder.

Kristy pulled Greg back to kiss her as Brandy worked at the button and zipper of his pants. He raised his hips so she could pull them down and then he tugged at the waistband of Brandy's thong.

She stepped out of it while Greg started undressing Kristy and once the three of them were completely undressed, things heated up substantially.

Greg wasn't really sure what was happening. It was all happening so fast. Hands, mouths and fingers were everywhere, touching everything. At some point, Brandy was lying on her back with Kristy on top and Greg was pounding into Kristy from behind. But after a few minutes that wasn't enough. He pulled out of her and began screwing the hell out of Brandy while his hand finished the job on Kristy.

"Oh fuck, Greg!" Kristy screamed as she rocked against his hand for a few minutes. Then she flipped onto her back so it was against Brandy's front and his mouth immediately fastened onto one of her nipples.

"Oh God," Brandy groaned as she reached up and began grabbing Kristy's breasts as Greg continued to pump into her. "You lucky...lucky...bitch," she moaned as she hit her climax. With him rubbing her clit at the same time, it didn't take long.

He pulled out and slammed back into Kristy who screamed his name again. He was close, and he moved faster, barely aware of the yelling that was going on outside in the hall.

When he hit his own climax, he rolled over onto his back and tried to catch his breath.

"Someone please! We need a doctor!"

His eyes flipped open and he sat up. "What's going on out there?"

"Never mind about them," Brandy whispered as she caught his lips and gave him a long kiss.

He surrendered to it at first, but the second desperate plea for a doctor sent his brain on overdrive. He got up and started to get dressed. "Greg?" Kristy asked, looking just as confused as Brandy.

"I'll be right back."

"What, are you a doctor now?" Brandy chuckled.

He paused at the door and nodded. "Actually yeah." He opened the door and closed it behind him, but he kept his mask securely in place.

"What's going on?" he asked as someone ran past.

"Someone's choking, we don't know what on."

"Where are they?"

"In here," she said and gestured for him to follow her into a room down the hall. "Are you a doctor?"

"Yeah."

A girl was sitting on the bed, grabbing at her stomach, seemingly trying to give herself the Heimlich maneuver but failing miserably. "What happened?" he demanded of the guy in the room who was looking on and doing nothing.

"We were having a snack and then she started wheezing and pointing to her throat."

"And you don't even know the Heimlich?" he snapped as he examined the girl whose lips were swollen and turning blue at the same time.

"N-no I don't. Is she going to be okay?"

"I don't know yet. Does she have any allergies?"

The girl who was choking held up her wrist to show her ID bracelet before she passed out. "Oh crap. Someone, get me a knife and a drinking straw. Hurry up!"

They scrambled to do his bidding while he read the inscription on her bracelet. "Pineapple allergy. Great." He glanced around and saw the fruit platter with the pineapple dangerously close to the other fruits. "People are stupid," he muttered as someone returned with a steak knife and the drinking straw. "I need towels. And I hope someone called 9-1-1."

"They're on their way," the boy nodded as he watched in horror as Greg positioned the knife against her throat. "What? You're going to cut her open right here?"

"You have a better idea? She's suffocating. Who's the genius who brought the fruit platter with pineapple? And better yet, why did she eat any of it if she knew about her allergy?"

"I didn't know. And she didn't eat any of it, just the berries and grapes."

"Which are sitting NEXT TO the pineapple," he shouted. "Ever heard of cross-contamination?"

He cut into her throat and stuck the straw in, allowing her to gasp for air and the color in her face returned. Everyone watching breathed a sigh of relief, including Greg. The sirens could be heard as the EMT pulled up to the house and he got up. "They'll take it from here. I gotta go." He quickly left the room and went looking for Kristy. "Come on, it's late and we gotta go. Now."

"What? You saved that girl's life and you're just going to leave? Just like that?"

"Yeah," he nodded as he began pulling her down the hall. "Just like that."

He was silent in the car ride home. He knew he had to leave town. Soon. It would only be a matter of time before word got out. There were people with camera phones recording the whole thing. Someone would surely recognize him.

But where could he go? He didn't have a passport, so he couldn't leave the country. It would have to be some place in bumblefuck nowhere. Some place where nobody would know about Dr. Greg House.


	5. I Won't Forget You

_**A/N: Well it seems you guys all liked the smut in the last chapter. That's good. Unfortunately that's the only threesome you'll see from me in a long time, if ever. I'll stick to what I know from now on.**_

**Chapter Five**

"Hellooo in there," Kristy said as she waved a hand in front of Greg's face as she drove. "I can hear the rusty wheels turning."

He snorted but continued staring out the window and didn't say another word until she pulled into his driveway. "G'night," he said as he reached for the door latch.

"Greg wait," she said as she placed her hand on his leg. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing you need to worry about." He opened the car door and got out, hearing Kristy drive off before he had his key in the lock. He knew he hurt her, but there wasn't a lot he could do about it.

"_So what now?_" Wilson's voice penetrated the dark confines of Greg's bathroom as he brushed his teeth.

"I haven't thought that far ahead yet," he said out loud. "I have to say, this is very alarming. It's worse than the times I was hallucinating your dead girlfriend."

"_Yeah, except it's not a hallucination this time. I'm the real deal, buddy. Cool, huh_?"

"What would be cooler is if you actually appeared, rather than me talking to dead air. Pun intended."

There was a chuckle. "_Trust me, I won't look the same as I did when you last saw me_."

"God, I hope not," Greg said. "You looked like death warmed over. I should hope you'd look better now that you're actually, you know, dead."

"_I don't exactly have a body anymore, House. What you see might not be what you expect. So it's best I just remain invisible, if it's all the same to you_."

"Whatever floats your boat. So whaddya want?" he asked as he went back to the bedroom and climbed into the safety of his warm bed.

"_I saw what you did tonight. Impressive_."

"Are you referring to the amazing threesome sex or when I gave that stupid kid an emergency trach?"

"_Both, actually," _Wilson chuckled_. "If I indeed had a body, I no doubt would've gotten a very impressive woody. That redhead. Wow!_"

Greg smiled up at the ceiling as he remembered the events of that evening. It was pretty hot if he did say so himself.

"_Anyway, back to the task at hand. What are you going to do now?"_

"Get the hell outta dodge," Greg sighed as he rubbed his hands over his face. "It's only a matter of time before I'm discovered..."

"_I could hear your thoughts earlier. You don't need to repeat them for my benefit._"

"Oh well, thanks," he sneered. "I don't hear any brilliant suggestions from you on what I should do."

"_No, your ideas were pretty spot on. Sell the house, gather your shit and get the hell out of town. Pretty easy, really_."

"Except where to go."

"_Somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Kansas, Iowa, Oklahoma_..."

"I'm _not_ going to Tornado Alley. What else ya got?"

"_Florida? Atlanta? Any of those places is bound to have some kind of small town you can hide in_."

"And have everyone know everyone's business? No thanks."

"But what are the chances of any of those hicks knowing anything about the infamous Dr. Gregory House?"

Wilson had a point. And it was a thought he'd had earlier. "I'll sleep on it. Now go away."

"_G'night House_."

"G'night, Wilson."

X X X

It took a week but Greg managed to quit his job, find someone to rent his house to and pack up his stuff. He didn't have a lot and he was all ready to go except...

He sighed. He felt bad for leaving town without even saying so much of a good bye to Kristy. Even though he hadn't seen or spoken to her since Halloween night. She had become more than just a good fuck to him. He actually found himself growing quite attached to her. The least he could do was tell her he was skipping town and wouldn't be back.

So that evening he went to her apartment. There was a storm brewing and the sky had turned dark and threatening. In the distance he could see rain and heard the faint rumble of thunder.

He knew she was home because he saw her car in parking lot. He knocked on the door once, and then twice. No answer. So he tried the doorknob. It opened easily, and he slipped inside. The living area was dark and he was just approaching her bedroom when she jumped out at him, a gun in her hands, which were surprisingly steady.

"Back off, Greg. If that's your real name."

He resisted the urge to laugh at the way she said those words and threw his hands up immediately as he took a couple steps back. "Whoa! What're you doing?"

"Who the fuck are you?"

"That depends. Who do you think I am?"

"I thought your name was Greg Lazarus and that you were a musician."

"It is. I am. Wanna see my I.D.?"

"Your fake ID you mean?"

He shrugged. "Can you please put the gun down before you kill one of us? I don't know why you thought you'd need a gun anyway. If I knew you were packin' heat I wouldn't have come by unannounced. But I thought I at least had to tell you goodbye."

Kristy lowered the gun. "Goodbye? Where're you going?"

"I have to leave town. And since you know that Greg Lazarus isn't my real name, it's only a matter of time before others discover it too, thanks to the idiots using their phones to capture me doing an emergency trach at the Halloween party."

She put the gun down and gestured to the couch. "Sit. Want a beer?"

"No. I can't stay long."

"Greg, take me with you."

"No. I can't."

"Why?"

"Believe me, the further away from me you are, the better."

"How can you say that?"

"It's the truth."

She sat down next to him. "Who are you?"

"You don't need to know. Let's just leave it at that."

"Where are you going to go?"

"I don't know. I'm just going to ride and go where the day takes me."

"Just like that? You can just pack up and move on like nothing happened?"

"Yeah. Just like that. I'm what you call a wandering nomad. A rebel," he chuckled.

"And you're really a doctor?" she asked after a few minutes of silence between them. "You saved that girl's life."

"That's what doctors do. I might not be one anymore, but the Hippocratic oath dictates that I can do no harm. What was I supposed to do? Let her die from anaphylactic shock?"

"She would've died if you hadn't been there."

"Everything happens for a reason. She wasn't meant to die that night, I guess. You're the one she should thank, for bringing me to the party in the first place. Not me."

Kristy smiled and placed her hand on his thigh. "I had a good time that night, regardless. Didn't you?"

Greg nodded but didn't say anything as he stared at her hand. "Had you never been in a threesome before?" she asked.

"No, that was a first for me, and truth be told, probably the last. It made me realize that I don't like to share."

Kristy smiled and then moved her hand to his scruffy cheek and turned his head so she could kiss him. At first he didn't respond, not sure if he should. After all, he was leaving, wasn't he?

But then part of his brain, the rational part, told the horny part of his brain to just shut up and go with the flow. So he returned the kiss, giving it all that he had.

"You're such a good kisser, Greg. Has anyone ever told you that?"

He shook his head and placed his hand on the back of her head as he kissed her again and slipped his tongue in her mouth. She sighed as she leaned back against the arm of the couch and pulled him against her.

God, he was going to miss her.

_One more fuck couldn't hurt_, he thought to himself as his hands began to unbutton her blouse.

Kristy smiled and wrapped her legs around his hips, drawing him closer as she unbuttoned his shirt and slipped her hand under his T shirt.

"Mmm Greg. You don't really want to leave, do you?" she whispered as her hands rubbed his chest, her nails dragging over his nipples.

"Don't want to, but I have to," he murmured as he kissed and nipped her neck.

"Why?"

"Because it's a long story. One that you don't need to know."

"Why? Did you kill someone?" she giggled as his hand slipped down between her legs and rubbed the inside of her thigh. "Are you on the lam?"

"Not exactly. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. I don't want to do that," he grinned at her before returning to kiss her neck again.

"Why can't I just go with you?" she almost whined.

"You have a life here. I don't."

"Oh yeah. Some life. They pay me to take off my clothes and give lap dances to complete strangers."

"It could be worse."

She looked at him and her lower lip was sticking out. "That doesn't work on me," he laughed. "I'm immune to your feminine wiles."

"Right," she scoffed as she pulled his head back down for another kiss while her hand reached for the very obvious bulge in his jeans. "Then why did you come over?"

"I told you already," he whispered as he pulled on the ties of her lounge pants and slipped his hand inside. "How about a nice send-off? You know, for the road?" He didn't give her a chance to respond as he covered her mouth with his and continued to rub his fingers against her lace panties, feeling her heat.

"Mhm, I suppose I could. Something to remember you by?"

"Exactly," he said and then got up, pulling her to her feet. "But not here. Your bed is much more comfortable."

Kristy nodded and led the way. "Much."

He followed her to the bedroom which was already becoming quite dark and they fell onto the bed, holding each other close. For a few minutes they just lay together, kissing and touching each other but that ignited the passion between them and the remainder of their clothes came off and they sought refuge under the covers. The white sheets felt cool against his skin as he rolled onto his back and pulled Kristy on top of him. As he stared up into her eyes, and she into his, he sighed.

"What's wrong, Greg?" she asked as she gently stroked his jaw.

"Not a thing. Just thinking."

"About?"

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Now, where were we?" His hands slid down her back to squeeze her very firm backside and she moaned.

"Mmm, right about here," she whispered before crashing her lips down on his.

The sex was good, as always, and as Greg lay there with Kristy sleeping next to him, he contemplated his next move. Being careful not to wake her as he got up, he found his clothes, scribbled a note that he left on his pillow and quietly left her apartment. Making sure he had everything, he climbed onto his bike, secured his helmet and road off headed east.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Greg wasn't sure where to go. After going south for a couple of days, he ended up in Arizona and stopped in Flagstaff. He spent a couple of nights at a hotel there and then decided to check out the Grand Canyon. The last time he'd been there was with his parents when he was a kid and he had been impressed by it.

So, as he stood and took in the view, he felt that familiar cold chill that told him Wilson was somewhere. Even though it was late fall, it was still too warm for that kind of coldness.

"_It's quite something, isn't it?"_ he heard Wilson's voice in his thoughts this time.

"How nice of you not to make me talk back and have people think I'm crazy."

"_What are friends for? So, what's new?"_

"Not much."

_"Where ya headed?"_

"I thought I'd stay here until Spring. Well, not in Flagstaff but in this state. I saw a nice trailer park about 30 miles north of here that looked promising. I figure it's safe, if not safer, than Phoenix or Tucson. What are the chances of anyone knowing about me here?"

_"Probably slim to none. Which is what you want, right? Just try not to solve any medical mysteries that you can't explain away."_

"An emergency trach is pretty standard on the fly."

"_Yeah, but you have to be more subtle than that in the future. And I recommend sticking to small towns where nobody knows or cares about the world of medicine."_

"Yeah. That's the plan."

"_As well as having as much sex as you can get away with."_

Greg chuckled. "Get out of my head Wilson and haunt someone else for awhile."

_"No problem. Cya, House."_

X X X

The trailer park was nice and quiet, not too many kids running around, and he managed to rent one that was fully furnished which suited him just fine. His days were spent mostly sitting out front with a beer watching the other residents. The majority of them were older, married couples with RV's who stayed a week at most, before moving on with their travels.

Kitson was still writing his Methadone scrips and making sure he was able to fill them at the local pharmacy without a hassle.

He was about ready to go inside when he spotted a couple arguing across the lane. She was young, couldn't have been much older than twenty-five, but the man she was with looked at least forty and was a very big man. He could've been a football player. He looked like he could beat anyone to a pulp, especially her. Greg watched as the man grabbed her arm and shouted at her. What he was saying, he couldn't hear but she shouted something back at him. He jerked her arm so hard it looked like it could've come out of its socket and then he dragged her inside with the door slamming closed.

"_House, don't even,"_ he heard Wilson's voice in his head again.

"What are you? My conscience now? Get outta here," Greg growled.

"_Don't get involved. It's none of your business."_

"Oh, so I'm just supposed to turn my head and ignore it like everyone else until she turns up in the hospital or even the morgue?"

"_Wow."_

"What?" Greg snapped.

"_When did you develop empathy for another human being? Has hell frozen over?"_

"You should know."

"_That was a cheap shot."_

"I don't care. I'm sick of people insinuating that I'm some self-centered asshole who doesn't care about anyone. I always cared. I just chose not to show it like you did. I preferred to stay objective and not get involved. It doesn't mean I didn't have empathy."

There was silence. _"Sorry. You're right. I just don't want you to get in over your head. Be careful. You don't know what people are capable of in these kinds of places."_

"I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself," Greg growled. "Go away."

"_Whatever. I hope you know what you're doin."_

"I should start calling him Jiminy Cricket," Greg muttered under his breath.

"_I heard that, House!"_ Wilson's voice sounded in his mind in a rather indignant tone. _"If I don't be your voice of reason, who will?"_

"I don't need a voice of reason. And I'm still not altogether sure that I'm not hallucinating all this."

"_I didn't come all this way to make you believe that you're imagining things."_

"Oh, well I'm sorry if I'm inconveniencing you. Shouldn't you be banging the hell out of Amber on a cloud right about now?"

"_Been there, done that,"_ Wilson replied, sounding quite pleased with himself.

"You know what this reminds me of?"

_"No, what?"  
_

"That show, Quantum Leap. Except the roles are reversed, and it's a little scary."

Wilson laughed. _"Aww poor House. You'd rather be the Hologram? You could've stayed in Vegas and had all the sex you wanted with Kristy."_

"Not an option."

"_Why didn't you let her come with you?"_

"I didn't want to be tied down. I'm enjoying this bachelor lifestyle that I've made for myself."

"_I'm not sure if it's more or less destructive. Watching you hop from bed to bed with the frequency of a cheap ham radio, or..."_

"Hey! I resemble that remark!" Greg laughed as he took a sip of his beer. "Now shoo. I have some recon to do."

X X X

Greg kept his eye on the young woman, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike up some kind of conversation with her. What he'd say, he had no idea. He hoped a situation would arise that would allow him to get a chance.

A few days later, he got his chance when she was outside trying to move some heavy ceramic pots.

"Need help with those?" he called to her as he watched her struggle. She was a little thing. Blonde hair, very pale complexion and very thin. Almost too thin.

She seemed startled when he called to her, and glanced around until she saw him standing outside his trailer.

"I can manage," she said, her voice wavering a little.

"Barely. Those pots probably weigh more than you do," he said as he crossed the path and approached her. She took a step back and her eyes went wide with fear so he stopped dead in his tracks. "Hey, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm just being, what's the word? Neighborly."

"It's not a good idea. Jeff will be home any minute."

"And?"

"And you shouldn't be here."

"It looks like those are pretty heavy. Why not wait until he gets home and have him move them. He looks like a strong guy."

"He is," she said softly, and then gave him a look that told him more than he needed to know.

"How long have you lived here?" he inquired.

"Two years, seven months and thirteen days..." her voice trailed off as she seemed to stare into space.

"That's eerily accurate. A simple two years would've been enough," he chuckled. Just then, a truck pulled into the complex and it seemed to knock her out of her reverie.

"I..I gotta go. He'll be expecting dinner. You should go too. If he sees me talking to you..." she quickly turned away and ran inside her trailer just as the big guy approached, a frown on his face.

"Who the hell are you?" he snarled.

Greg decided to use the polite approach at first, to see if that worked. He extended his hand. "Greg Lazarus. I just moved in the other day."

Jeff looked past him to see his Harley sitting next to his mobile home. "That yours?"

"Yep. You like bikes?"

"Yeah. Looks good. Harley Davidson?"

"Nothing but. Do you ride?"

"Oh yeah. Whenever I can. I have a bike in storage until next spring."

"Nice. Well if you feel like a cruise, give me a shout. If I'm still around that is."

"Just passing through, huh?" Jeff nodded like he understood. "I can't say I blame you."

"Doesn't seem too bad here..."

"It's a hole in the earth," Jeff laughed. "Cya around."

They parted ways and Greg returned to his place with a smile. Round one. House: 1 point.

X X X

Greg was outside waxing the chrome on his bike when she came outside. It occurred to him that he still didn't know her name.

"Hi!" he called to her.

She waved, looking shy, and then tended to her flowers on the bottom step. When she was done, she looked like she was contemplating coming over, and he gave her a reassuring smile to let her know it was okay, so she slowly crossed the path. "Nice bike," she said. "Jeff was talking about it the other day. Said he wants one now."

"They're hard to resist." He stood up and she took a few steps back like she was startled. He chuckled as he wiped his hands off on a towel. "We never did properly get introduced, did we? I'm Greg." He held out his hand and she stared at it for a second. "You can shake it. I don't bite."

She bit her lower lip, something that he always adored about women, and gently took his hand.

"I'm Sara."

Greg nodded. "Where's the hubby today?"

"At work."

"What does he do?"

"He's a foreman at the factory in the next town. Wants to be head foreman but..."

"But?"

"They keep passing him over for promotions."

"Is that why he's so angry all the time?" he asked, his voice quiet.

She stared at him, eyes wide. "I-why would you say that?"

"Sara," he said, giving her a look, "Don't insult my intelligence. I have eyes. And ears for that matter. And it's rather hard to avoid."

"He's not like that all the time," she whispered as she stared at the ground, pretending to be interested in the red rocks under her feet.

"Yeah, I'm sure he's a real nice guy underneath," Greg smirked. "You can leave, you know."

"No I can't. He wouldn't let me. He told me if I tried, he'd find me. And he has." She let the last sentence hang there, allowing him to come to his own conclusions.

"So when he's beating the ever loving crap out of you, nobody does anything?"

"They're scared of him too. If the cops came..."

"If the cops came, you'd at least be safer."

She looked at him like the was crazy, and then she laughed. "If that's true, Greg, then why am I still stuck here in hell? With him?" Then she turned and ran back to her place and slammed the door behind her.

"_Stay out of it, House,"_ Wilson's voice said with a heavy sigh. _"You can't save her."_

"Someone has to. Look at her!"

"_Who are you and what have you done to the real Greg House?"_

"He died in that fire. Are you going to help me or not?"

"_How do you expect me to help? It's not like I can do anything."_

"You can be my spy."

"_And then what?"_

"How the hell should I know? I'm making this up as I go along."

"_Just be careful. And what's all that nonsense about being his buddy?"_

"Haven't I taught you anything?" Greg laughed. "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Or how about this one, it's better to be the right hand of the devil than in his path."

_"That one I've heard."_

"So are you going to help me or not? Be a pal."

_"Whatever, House."_

X X X

There was a loud knock on Greg's door early in the morning and he groaned. "Go away!"

"Open up!" It was Jeff's voice and he didn't sound happy.

"Oh for fuck's sake," Greg muttered as he got up and limped to the door, opening it but leaving the screen door locked. "It's only nine in the morning. This better be good."

"I have to go out of town for a few days. I need a favor."

"What?"

"There's some prick a few houses over. Always lookin' at Sara funny. I want you to keep an eye on her. Make sure she behaves herself."

That struck a nerve with Greg and he frowned. "Huh. And here I thought you were going to ask me to keep him away from her."

"If he knows what's good for him, he'll stay away. Sara on the other hand, well, she's got it in her to run off. So she better be home when I get back or else," he gave Greg a menacing stare which was crystal clear what he was implying.

"Whatever, man. Can I go back to sleep now?"

"Yeah. Thanks. Oh, and I don't think I need to tell you to keep your hands off her, either."

"Please. I'm old enough to be her father."

Greg slammed the door shut and crawled back into bed. This was going from bad to worse. All he could do was keep an eye on her and make sure nobody looked at her the wrong way. Didn't seem all that difficult. He was intrigued by her, and her problem. She was over eighteen. Why didn't she just take off? What kind of hold did Jeff have on her to make her think she had to stay? He intended to find out and thought about it as he managed to drift back to sleep.

When he got up, he made breakfast, took his meds and was just about to go outside when his cell phone rang. Recognizing the Las Vegas area code, he answered.

"Lazarus."

"Greg, dude!" Lenny said on the other end, "where are you, bro?"

"Why?"

"Just curious. Kristy said you skipped town and wouldn't be back. You didn't even say goodbye. What's that about?"

"It was sort of a split second decision. Long story. Why are you calling?"

"I'm just curious as to where you went. Thought I might join you in your travels."

"It's probably better if you don't."

"Why? Come on, man. What's goin on?"

"Nothing. I'm just passing through town here. I won't be staying long. By the time you make it down here, I might be already moving on."

"Maybe, maybe not."

"Look, even if you did come, I don't have any room for you. My place is pretty cramped as it is."

"I can take the couch."

Greg groaned and shook his head. He knew he was making a mistake. He could barely stand the guy as it was. Still, it would be better than being by himself in the middle of nowhere. "Fine. Whatever." He gave Lenny info and directions on where he was. "See ya whenever."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So, 4 more sleeps till NaNo :) Who's in? I am. I'll still try to post this story while I do that.  
**

**Chapter Seven**

"So when is Jeff coming home?"

Sara was sitting on the bottom step of her trailer when he joined her with a beer. It was a warm day but it was humid. The sky was grey and a storm was coming anytime.

"I don't know. But that's just like him."

"What do you mean?"

"He never tells me when he's coming home, only so he can surprise me, thinking he's going to catch me red-handed doing something I shouldn't be doing."

"And what is it he expects you to be doing?"

"Flirting with other men. I was always a big flirt. That hasn't changed, I just have to be careful. I don't see the harm in it, really. Jesus, Greg, I'm only twenty-three! I should be out, hanging out with friends, living it up. And here I am, in the middle of bumblefuck nowhere living with a bohemian, chauvinistic control freak. I deserve better than this, damnit!" she said and pounded her knee with her fist for emphasis.

"Why are you with him then?"

She sighed, took the beer he'd been drinking and had a long sip while he watched her. "Because without him I'll have nothing."

Greg shook his head. "That's so not true. You shouldn't have to depend on anyone. Where did you meet that clown anyway?"

"At a dance back home. I grew up in Phoenix. My dad was a minister so you can imagine the tremendous pressure I was under. I had to be perfect. Get perfect grades, have the right friends, et cetera. Then I met Jeff. He told me right off that he was going to marry me. Ha," she chuckled. "I thought he was some creep."

"So why didn't you go with your instincts?"

"I don't know. He was nice to me. Back then, at least. He was also my first. I've never been with anyone but Jeff. We had a bit of scare and then a shotgun wedding."

Greg glanced behind him into her house. "I haven't heard or seen any children running around."

Sara lowered her head. "There aren't any. And I doubt there will be. Ever. I lost the first baby. But by then I was already married to him. It's harder to leave than I thought. I was only nineteen at the time. I told him I didn't see the point in staying married, since I wasn't able to have kids, but he wanted kids. He wasn't too happy to hear that and he raped me on the floor of our shitty house. I got pregnant again, lost it 6 weeks later."

"You never figured out why you couldn't sustain a pregnancy?"

"No. And to be honest, I really don't care. I don't want kids. Not now anyway, and certainly not with him. I just don't know how to leave. If I did, and he found me again, he'd kill me. I believe him. He has a gun collection and he's threatened more than once to use me for target practice if I tried to run away again." She wiped her eyes and sniffed. "God, I don't know why I just told you all that."

Greg shrugged and offered her another sip of his beer. "Sometimes it's better to just spill your guts. It's even easier to do it to a stranger. They won't judge you, won't pity you."

She glanced over at him and smiled. "Do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Judge and pity me?"

"No. I barely know you, but even if I did, I wouldn't. God knows I have my own problems. That would make me a hypocrite."

"How old are you, Greg?"

"Fifty-three."

"Yeah, I figured as much. You look pretty good though."

He laughed. "Wow, you are a flirt."

"I told you." She glanced at her watch. "I know this is probably crazy but I'm going to ask anyway. Would you by any chance want to eat dinner with me? I took out two steaks from the freezer this morning before Jeff told me he was going out of town so I can't exactly put the other one back."

"So in other words, I'd be doing you a favor?"

"Yes. I'm a good cook. We can fire up the grill."

"Provided it doesn't start pouring. Those dark clouds over there don't look very promising."

"I can bring it undercover. It's fine. So will you?"

He didn't need to be asked twice. It was better than the frozen dinner he had in his own freezer. "Sure, why not. I'll even bring over more beer."

"Cool. I'll get the grill going. Come over when you're ready."

He watched her go inside, admiring her very firm, round butt in her cut-off shorts and then shook his head to clear it.

"_House, don't. You're old enough to be her...grandfather,"_ Wilson's voice spoke in his head as he walked back to his place.

"Oh please. You don't honestly think I'm going to do anything with her. She's just a kid for Christ's sake."

"_I seem to recall a certain seventeen year old stalker that you had your eye on."_

"And did I do anything with her? No."

"_Not for lack of trying. She showed you her tits!"_

"So? I needed to check out her heart. I had a better listen that way. And besides, like I said, _nothing happened_. Just like nothing is going to happen here. I'm keeping my distance from this one. I don't relish being stuffed and mounted on her husband's wall with the rest of his hunting trophies. So go away. I don't need a chaperone."

"_Fine. Have a good night. Behave yourself."_

"Fuck off."

Greg grabbed a six pack of beer from the fridge and headed back over to Sara's. She already had the BBQ started and it was burning off whatever she'd cooked on there before.

"Is it usually this warm in November?"

"Oh yeah. That's the only good thing about living out here. It never really gets that cold. It has been known to snow on occasion but it's short lived." She took a beer that he offered her and cracked it open. "How do you like your steak?"

"Medium is fine."

"Great. Same here. I don't like it bloody, but I don't like it over cooked either."

He glanced inside and saw a large acoustic guitar case leaning against the wall. "Whose guitar?"

"Mine. Do you play?"

"It's been awhile."

"Go ahead," she gestured for him to go get it. "Are you any good?"

"Never had any complaints."

He opened the case to find a very nice Washburn sitting inside. "Wow. This must've set you back."

"It was a wedding present from Jeff. Which is kind of ironic because he hates it when I practice, so why he spent the money I don't know. But I only know a few songs, otherwise I just play bits and pieces of various things."

"Did you ever take lessons?"

"No. There never seemed to be much time. And Jeff is extremely jealous so I tried to find a female guitar teacher. Not a one. Not around here anyway."

Greg made sure it was in tune first, adjusting it a little and then began to strum "_Every Rose Has Its Thorn_," one of the easier ones to warm up with, since it was all chords.

Sara didn't recognize the song but she liked it and found her hips swaying along to the relaxing melody.

"Nice song," she said as she flipped the steaks over and took a sip of her beer. She felt relaxed and mellow for the first time in years.

"You don't recognize it?"

"Nope."

"I guess it was long before your time. What year were you born?"

"1989."

Greg winced. "Ouch."

"Yeah yeah, I know. You're old enough to be my father. Doesn't mean we can't be friends. Maybe you could teach me some songs that I could play all the way through so Jeff wouldn't mind if I played."

Greg nodded as he began to play a song called "_Police Dog Blues_" and began to sing softly.

"All my life I've been a travellin' man..."

Sara smirked but she enjoyed his soft voice as he sang the lyrics, eyes closed, clearly in the moment.

"I met a girl I couldn't get her off my mind...she passed me up sayin' she didn't like my kind."

"She must've been on crack," Sara giggled.

When he finished the song, she'd just finished putting the steaks on a plate. "Wanna eat out here? It's kinda hot inside."

"Sure." He took a seat at the picnic table while she brought out some potato salad to have with it.

They ate for a few minutes. "What other music do you play?" she asked.

"This and that. Blues and jazz mostly. I used to have electric guitars and I played some classic rock as well. I was in a band once when I was younger."

"Cool. I'll bet you got laid every night, too," she said with a saucy grin.

Greg looked up to see her dip her pinkie finger in the barbeque sauce and bring it to her mouth to lick it off.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I'll bet you had your choice of women every night."

He laughed. "I wish. No, that was my friend's privilege. I was just the geeky guitar player standing behind him. I got the dregs."

"Somehow I doubt that," she said as she continued to look at him as she ate. He suddenly realized just why Jeff wanted him to make sure Sara behaved herself. She was really laying it on thick and while he enjoyed the attention, he wondered if she was just testing the limits to see how far she could push him until he gave in.

He decided she could try all she wanted. He wasn't going to break. As long as they were sitting outside, anyone could see them and that he was keeping a safe distance from her. Gossip in those trailer parks was no doubt rampant, and he knew there had to be some busybody who made it her business to know everyone else's business. The last thing he needed was for Jeff to come back and hear about it.

"Sara," he said as he cleared his throat and took a long sip of his beer, "stop."

She looked naturally confused as she stared at him. "Stop what?"

"It's not going to happen."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said with an air of annoyance.

"Do you really want Jeff to come home and hear that you were flirting with me?"

"Who's going to know? Nobody's out here, Greg. Look around!"

"In places like this, you never know who's looking. Jeff mentioned some jerk nearby who was always looking at you. He actually asked me to keep an eye out for you." He decided to leave out that it was really to make sure she behaved but he didn't think she'd appreciate it.

Sara laughed, almost choking on her steak. "Charlie? Oh please. The man is harmless. He's one sandwich short of a picnic basket. He looks at all the women like that. I've never spoken to him once since he moved here in the spring. No, if anything, Jeff really wanted to make sure I behaved myself around you."

House was surprised, but he kept his expression neutral. "He thinks you're going to hit on me?"

"Yeah. I told him that you're too old, and so not my type. I think he was somewhat convinced but I can't be sure. Anyway, he's supposed to be gone five days, but don't be surprised if he comes home a day or two early. He'd just love to catch us in the act."

"That's just it. There won't be any _act_, as you so delicately put it. You're just a kid. I prefer women."

"Wow thanks," she muttered as she got up and started collecting their empty dishes.

Greg rolled his eyes and grabbed her wrist to stop her. "Wait. That's not what I meant."

She jerked her arm away from him immediately and he let go. "Sorry," he sighed.

"So? What did you mean?"

"I just meant that you're too young for me."

"Well you could've just said that," she snapped as she took his plate and stacked it on top of hers before going into the house. She came back out a few minutes later with two bowls of ice cream smothered in chocolate sauce and chopped cashews.

"Wow, and you still gave me dessert?"

She shrugged and sat down across from him. He wolfed down the ice cream in quick fashion and then let out a very loud and satisfying belch.

"So what're you doing tomorrow?" She asked him.

"I have a friend coming to stay. He should be arriving tomorrow at some point."

Her eyes lit up. "Is he cute? What does he do?"

"He's a bartender."

"Oh, then he's probably hot."

Greg laughed. "What makes you think that?"

"Most bartenders are easy on the eyes."

"If you say so."

"Haven't met an ugly one yet."

"Never say never." He glanced at his watch and stood up. "Well, thanks for dinner. I gotta go."

"And do what? It's only seven-thirty. Can't you stay awhile longer? You could teach me some songs."

He contemplated it. What could be the harm in that? "Okay. But I do have to go. I left my cell phone. Lenny might've tried to call me. "I'll be back in five minutes."

Greg returned to his place took his dose, used the washroom and was just about to leave when he heard Wilson's voice. _"Don't do it, House."_

"What is it you think I'm going to do?"

"_I don't know, but whatever it is, it can't be good."_

"She's lonely and by herself, and she's not bad company either."

"_I have a bad feeling about this whole deal. Something's not right."_

"Well until you figure out what it is, I'm going over there. Don't wait up."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm back. Sorry for the delay in updating. I was thinking I could do NaNo AND post these chapters but apparently I can't :P Anyway, NaNo is finished, I hit the big 50K last night after a 5K word binge so I can get back to posting this story and when I've done that, (and this one isn't finished either) I'll begin posting my NaNo fic. You guys are in for a treat haha.**

Chapter Eight

Greg returned to his place a few hours later, pleased with himself for resisting Sara at every turn. He had to give her credit for persistence. Clearly she was deprived of any sexual contact or attention and he was her ticket out of that funk. The only problem was that he wasn't having any. When he left, she was pissed off and he was amused. All was not lost however. While he was there, she learned how to play two songs all the way through. He taught her Every Rose Has Its Thorn and Police Dog Blues. He also told her that if she behaved herself, he'd teach her more songs, but he wasn't going to be made a chump.

Lenny arrived just after noon the next day and the two of them sat out on his deck drinking beer and contemplating what they were going to do next. Sara came over to meet him, dressed very demurely in a flowered sundress, leaving the top two buttons open. The short dress left little to the imagination, showing off her very smooth, tanned legs. Lenny was immediately interested and she worked that to her advantage. "There's a BBQ in the complex tomorrow. You handsome men want to be my date?"

"Sure, sounds good," Lenny replied without even asking Greg if he was interested. Which, from the look on his face, spoke volumes that he was anything but.

"Great. It starts at six." Then she glanced at Greg. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

Greg rolled his eyes. "Sara, Lenny. Lenny, Sara. There. Away you go," he said to her, waving his hand in dismissal. She merely smiled sweetly at both of them and then turned away.

Lenny let out a low whistle. "God damn, dude. No wonder you didn't want me to come down here. Hoping to keep that little hottie all to yourself?"

"Greg smirked. "Hardly. I'm not touchin that one with a ten foot pole. She's nothing but trouble. Don't waste your time. Her husband only threatened to kill me if I so much as laid a finger on her."

"You? Scared of someone? Yeah right," Lenny scoffed.

"If you saw him, and his gun collection you'd agree. Just don't."

"Where is he now?"

"I have no idea, and she doesn't know when he's coming back. Could be tomorrow for all I know."

"Pshht, he doesn't tell his gorgeous wife when he's coming home? Sounds like he just wants to catch her in the act of something."

Greg laughed. "And just what would you know about that?"

"If she were my wife, I'd take her with me. Have you and her..." Lenny whispered as he made obscene hand gestures. "You know..."

"Are you crazy? I don't go in for jail bait. She's only twenty-three. A little young for me."

"I wonder if she's ever had a threesome," Lenny wondered out loud.

"I highly doubt it. She told me her hubby was her first and only."

"And you believe it?"

Greg shrugged as he took a sip of his beer. "I don't really care because I'm not going to do anything with her. And if you're smart, you won't either."

Lenny suddenly got a look on his face that was both creepy and very chilling. "I'll bet we could show her a thing or two, eh?"

"I'm sure we could but I want no part in whatever scheme you've got going."

"I think the three of us could have a good time. Have you ever done a threesome before?"

"Yeah, but with two _women_. And I stress the word women. Sara's nothing but a kid."

"Maybe now, but I'll bet under the right circumstances we could give her an education she'd never forget."

"No thanks. If that's all you came down here for then pack your shit and get out. I don't want any part of it."

"We'll see."

"What does that mean?"

"It means what it means."

"Lenny come on. Don't be a jerk. I'm not on some mission to screw every woman in every town I stop in at."

Lenny blinked. "Why did you leave, anyway?"

"It's a long story. Not one I care to get into at this time. Or anytime. Let's just say it was better for all that I did."

"You broke Kristy's heart, you know," Lenny told him.

"She'll get over it, and I told her I wasn't staying. I hate when they get attached to me all the time," he chuckled as he took a long sip.

"You're a tough guy to get to know, man. What's with all the mystery?"

"If I told you I'd have to kill you. Let's just leave it at that. Don't you watch the local news?"

"Not often. Why?"

"I was on it. And that's all I'm saying. Case closed."

Lenny nodded. He had always been intrigued by Greg and what his story was. He hoped one day he'd figure it out. He knew he was running from something, but he didn't know what. All he knew was that it had something to do with his friend Wilson. He put it at the back of his mind for the meantime. He had bigger fish to fry.

X X X

"I have to go into town to pick up my meds. Need anything?" Greg asked his friend as he grabbed his helmet.

"Condoms for all the sex I'm gonna have with Sara," Lenny laughed wickedly from his spot on the couch.

"Get your own rubbers. And behave yourself. I won't be gone more than an hour. And stay the hell away from Sara. It's still morning. She's probably still sleeping. Something that behemoth never lets her do. See ya."

Once Greg left, Lenny got dressed and went to sit outside in the warm sun. It was considerably cooler than it had been, being late fall and everything, but it's no different than the weather in Vegas, just a little more unsettled, since it's in the mountains near the Grand Canyon.

He spotted Sara tending to her plants and waved at her when she turned around. "Mornin'" he called to her.

"Hi," she called back. "Lenny, right?"

"Yeah. Nice plants."

She brushed a lock of hair out of her face and started walking towards him. "Thanks. I have a bit of a green thumb."

"Nothing wrong with that. So Greg tells me you're married. You look pretty young to be tied down to one man."

Sara narrowed her eyes. "What're you getting at?"

"Not a thing. Just that you should be free at this age. To experiment and explore."

"Wow. You couldn't be more obvious if you spat in my face. I'm not interested, sorry," she said and was about to turn around when he got up and grabbed her. "What? Greg's your type, is that what you're getting at? He's an old man. I doubt he could keep up with a fiery thing like you."

"Let go of me," she hissed as she tried to wrench her arm away. But he was strong and he yanked her back and grabbed onto her ass, rubbing it through her jeans.

"Mhm, very nice. Your husband's a lucky man," he said and then laughed as she tried to move away from him. "I'll bet it hurt when Greg rejected you."

"Don't talk to me about Greg. He's twice the man you are!"

"Bitch!" he hissed and backhanded her so hard she tripped and stumbled onto the rocky ground. As she picked herself off and noticed her scraped knees, Lenny was still laughing.

When Greg returned an hour later, the place was quiet. Too quiet. Lenny was nowhere to be seen and that left a very uneasy feeling inside. He put his things away and headed over to Sara's. He didn't hear anything at first, so he knocked on the door. "Sara, can I come in?"

When there was no answer, he tried the doorknob and it opened so he quietly let himself in and walked to the end of the hallway, bracing himself for whatever he might find on the other side of the door which he could only assume was the bedroom.

Without warning, he kicked it open and what he saw made his stomach turn. Sara was lying in her bed, hands tied behind her back with her panties shoved in her mouth. Her knees were scraped and a large welt grew on her cheek from where she'd been smacked earlier. Lenny, who'd gotten off just before Greg arrived, was quickly doing up his pants.

"What the ever loving fuck!" Greg shouted and grabbed Lenny, shoving him hard against the wall. "I told you to leave her alone! A simple request. But no! You had to go and do _this_ to her?"

"She wanted it, man! You should've heard the little slut. She was practically begging me to fuck her."

"Oh yeah? I don't see how that's possible with her panties in her mouth! Get the fuck out of here, and pack up your stuff. We are so done! I don't even know why I agreed to let you come down in the first place! You've been here less than twenty-four hours and you've already raped some poor girl. Get out! And you better be gone when I get back to my place. When her husband comes home and sees these marks who do you think he's going to blame? Yeah, me! It's my ass on the line! Now get out!" he grabbed Lenny by the shirt and the belt and tossed him out of the room unceremoniously. He returned to the bed and tried not to look as he began untying Sara. When he took the panties out of her mouth it was like a dam burst and she wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him for dear life.

"Oh God, Greg! Thank God!" she cried, tears falling fast as they soaked his shirt. "I don't even know what happened. One minute we were talking about you and the next, he smacked me and dragged me into the house."

"Wait a sec," he said as he held her back to look at her. "What do you mean you were talking about me?"

"He was saying all this shit about you. How you're an old man who probably couldn't get it up and about how hurt I must've been when you rejected me. I told him he was wrong and that's when he lost it. Oh God...look at me, Greg. Jeff is going to kill me. And quite possibly you, too. What are we going to do?"

He shut his eyes and tried to think. "I...I don't know. I have to think. I'll be back. You'll be okay?"

She nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "You'll come back, right?"

"Yeah, I'll be back. Get yourself cleaned up."

He left her and went back to his place. For Lenny's sake, he and his stuff were gone and there was no sign of him. Even his car was gone and Greg breathed a sigh of relief as he grabbed his duffel bag and started throwing things into it.

_"Now where are you going?"_ Wilson inquired as he watched Greg pack.

"Getting the hell out of here, that's what. It's been three days. He's bound to come back anytime. I don't want us to be here when he returns."

_"Wait, wait. Us? House...you're not seriously thinking of taking Sara with you, are you?"_

"Would you rather I left her behind to have the crap beaten out of her or worse? Jesus, when he sees her he's going to go crazy. And he's going to think I did it, and if not me, then he's going to go after that Charlie guy, who's an innocent bystander. I'm not going to let that happen. She did nothing wrong and neither did I. But if there's one thing I learned from my time in prison, it's that you can't reason with people like Jeff. He'll be hellbent to hurt or kill someone and all I know is that Sara and I won't be there to witness it."

_"Wow. You like her that much?"_

"That's not why I'm doing it. She deserves better. I'm going to see that she gets it."

_"And what if he comes looking for her? Or you?"_

"Well, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

_"Do you think she's going to go with you?"_

"She's probably packing her bags as we speak. She's a smart kid. She's not going to stick around to wait and see what happens. And better for her to go with me than hitchhike across the country."

Once he had everything in his bag, he took it outside and mounted it onto his bike just as Sara came running outside.

"Greg! You're leaving?" she cried, the tears flowing again as she grabbed onto his arm and held on.

"It's the best thing, for both of us," he said.

"How can it be? He's probably on his way home. I don't have time to pack everything and leave..."

"Sara," he said as he placed his hands on her shoulders, staring at her, willing her to stop crying. "Do you really want to leave here?"

"Yes. But..."

"If you were to pack up and run away, where would you go? Name the first place off the top of your head."

"Kansas," she replied, without hesitation. "My parents moved there when I left. It's where most of my family are from. I just don't know if it's far enough away. He'll come looking for me. I know he will..." she started sobbing again.

"Does he at least know where they live?"

She shook her head, still sobbing.

"Stop crying. Sara, stop already!" he shouted until she bit her lower lip and stared up at him with sad, red rimmed eyes. "I want you to go inside, pack one bag, grab your guitar and meet me back here in ten minutes."

"You, you mean..."

"Just go," he said as he turned her around and steered her back in the direction of her house.

_"I don't know whether to be extremely shocked or extremely proud of you right now, House,"_ Wilson said, his voice awe-struck.

"Why not both?"

_"I'm stunned."_

"Yeah well, get used to it. I'm sure I'll do many more things to stun you in the near future."

_"Are you really going to take her home to her parents? Do you think that's safe?"_

"It's safer than here and it buys us some time. I figure it'll take a few days to reach her parents place. We'll have a good head start. I'm going to trade this thing in and get something else. More of a cruiser. It'll be more comfortable. And if he starts asking around about a bike that matches this one, he'll hit a dead end."

_"Again. Wow."_

"Don't make a big deal about it. I'm only doing this to save both our skins."

Sara came out of her house, carrying a medium sized duffel bag and her hard shell guitar case. Greg chuckled. "Definitely gonna need a bigger bike." He secured her things and gave her his helmet to wear. He'd simply buy another one when he traded in.

"I don't know how to thank you, Greg, really."

"Thank me when we're out of the state and have a good head start," he said as he helped her get situated before climbing on himself. Then he put on his sunglasses, started the bike and rode off with nobody to see them go.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Huh, it's quiet out there. Thanks to those who are still reading/commenting. Lets me know I'm not posting just because. I am still working on this story until my brain comes up with another story idea.**

Chapter Nine

Their first stop was Gallup, New Mexico to trade in House's motorcycle. He was going to get another, but a navy blue metallic Porche SUV with a large For Sale sign on the windshield caught his attention.

"Nice car," Sara said as she followed his gaze to the Porche. "Deciding against another bike?"

"It's going to be a bitch if it snows," he said to himself as he walked around the car. "And it might be harder for numb nuts to find us if he thinks he's looking for a couple on a motorcycle."

Sara nodded. "Where are we stopping for the night?" she asked him.

"Somewhere here in New Mexico. I did consider going north up to Colorado and then cutting across, but with the cold weather coming, it's probably better to stay in the south as much as possible. So we'll stop in Albuquerque tonight and with any luck we'll be in Kansas by dinner time tomorrow."

Sara's eyes widened. "We're that close?"

"Yeah. It's not as far as you think. You have the address?"

She winced. "Not exactly."

"What do you mean, not exactly?"

"They live on a ranch. All we have to do is ask where the Goodleaf Ranch is. Someone will point us in the right direction..." her voice trailed off when she saw him laughing. "What? What's so funny?"

"Goodleaf? What are you? Some kind of flower child? Your parents must've been."

"I liked my maiden name," she said as she folded her arms across her chest in defiance. "What kind of a name is Lazarus, anyway?"

Greg merely grinned at her. "Touche."

Two hours later, they had their things in the new Porche and were headed back on the highway.

"So your parents are wealthy then?" he asked her when they stopped at a diner to eat dinner just outside of town.

"Yeah."

"And they couldn't stop you from marrying that guy?"

"It was a shotgun wedding, so no."

"And when you lost the baby, then what? They wanted nothing to do with you?"

"No, they were scared of him too. They didn't want to ruffle any feathers so they turned a blind eye."

"And you want to go live with them?"

"Where else am I going to go, Greg? Don't worry, I'll be fine. And I have no doubt that you'll be well received."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that they'll be thrilled that you were the one who helped me get out of there and they'll feel that they're forever in your debt. It's not a bad thing. Just don't be surprised if my dad ends up calling you "son" by sundown."

"I'm probably older than he is," Greg laughed.

"Probably," Sara nodded, and then started laughing too.

"I never did ask, or really had the chance to ask you how you're holding up."

She shrugged. "There wasn't time. You told me to pack my stuff and then we left. But I'm fine. I'll deal."

"When we get to Kansas you should see someone. A professional. You think you're okay now, but one of these days you're going to wake up and realize what happened and then you'll be a hot mess."

"I know. And I will. What about you, Greg? What are you running from?"

"I'm not really running. I'm just trying to find my way. You could say I'm retired and looking to find myself. Where I'm going to be able to do that is a mystery to me."

"Well I'm sure my parents will let you stay with us as long as you need. God knows they have plenty of room. And Thanksgiving is coming up. You'll want to stay for that."

"As long as it's not a dried out turkey," he smirked. "I have an aunt Sarah, who's notorious for her dried out turkeys."

Sara grinned. "Nope. Not in my family. Although there are plenty of turkeys, just not the kind you eat."

"Ha ha," Greg smirked.

He pulled into a hotel and got them a 2 bedroom suite for the night. Once settled, he called Dr. Kitson in Vegas.

"Greg?"

"Yeah it's me. Need a favor."

"What's up?"

"I'm heading to Kansas and I'll need my scrips sent there. That okay?"  
"Yeah, shouldn't be a problem. What's going on?"  
"I'm helping out a friend. I'm trying to sever all traces so her husband can't find her. He's threatened to kill her if she runs away. So when this call is over, I'm tossing out the phone and getting a new one. I'll let you know the new number and you're the only one who'll have it. I can trust you, right?"

"Of course. Doctor patient confidentiality is my thing. Do you think he's going to find me and ask?"  
"I highly doubt it, since you're in Nevada and he's in Arizona. I've hopefully left nothing behind that would tip him off where I came from and I don't know if he knows where her family lives, but I'm not taking any chances. Anyway, you'll be getting a call when I need a refill and it'll be from somewhere in Kansas. I just don't know where yet."

"No problem, Greg."

Greg ended the call, erased everything and tossed the phone in a trash bin. Sara had already gotten into bed and he heard the covers ruffling. He changed into his PJs which consisted of a pair of lounge pants and a Tshirt and climbed into bed himself, keeping the door to her room open in case she needed anything.

After about fifteen minutes, he heard her. "Greg?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm scared."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Of what?" As if he didn't know.

"What if Jeff finds me?"

"Does he know where your parents live?"

"Not really."

"What does that mean?"

"He knows they live in Kansas but never bothered to know where. As far as he's concerned it didn't matter because I was never going to see them again."

"He was keeping you from your own family?"

"Yeah. I guess he thought they'd try to convince me to leave him."

"Sounds like it would be an easy task to me."

"Yeah, which is why he didn't want me to see them."

There was silence for a few minutes and Greg thought she'd fallen asleep but then he heard the sniffles. This time he did roll his eyes, groaned and got out of bed to stand in the doorway of her room. "What's wrong?"

"I don't even know why I'm crying," she sniffled as she laughed. "I owe you my life, Greg. You got me out of that horrible marriage and you saved me from Lenny."

He lowered his head as he stepped further into the room and sat on the edge of her bed. "No I didn't. I shouldn't have introduced him to you and I shouldn't have left him alone when I went to town."

"You didn't know he'd do that."

"I think I did deep down but I was in denial. I figured how much trouble could he possibly get into in an hour? I underestimated that sick fuck and look where it got you."

"It wasn't your fault. You didn't tie me up and stuff my panties in my mouth. You weren't even there."

"I should have seen it coming..."

Sara reached for him and placed her hand over his. "Stop it. It's done. There's no point in talking about it anymore. You came to my rescue, like a knight in shining armor. And I'll never forget what you did."

He stared down at her hand as her fingers gently stroked his and it felt nice.

_"No, don't even,"_ he thought to himself as her hand trailed up his arm and rested on his shoulder.

"Sleep in here tonight, Greg?" she requested. "It's lonely in here all by myself."

"I don't think that's such a good idea."

"There are two beds. I'd just feel better having you in here than out there. It's probably a more comfortable bed, too."

"Fine."

She watched him as he got into the other bed and pulled the covers up over himself. "G'night, Greg," she said, still smiling.

"Go to sleep."

X X X

The Goodleaf ranch wasn't as big as other ranches he'd seen but it was still impressive. It sat in the middle of nowhere on acres of sprawling land just outside of Salina. The house was two storeys and had a wrap-around porch with plenty of seating.

"Nice place," Greg said as he drove up to the house and parked in the driveway.

"Yeah. This is the first time I've been here," Sara said as she hopped out and slammed the door shut.

A few seconds later, an older couple opened the storm door and the woman, who looked like a well seasoned and older version of Sara, gasped. "Sara? Oh my word! You look so..." she glanced to her husband for the right word and he cocked his head to one side.

"Skinny."

The woman ran down the steps and embraced her daughter while the older man glared at Greg.

"Who might you be?" he asked as he chewed on a toothpick and gave Greg an appraising stare.

"Oh!" Sara said as she pulled out of her Mom's embrace. "Mom, Dad, this is Greg Lazarus. Greg, these are my parents, Don and Betty Goodleaf."

"Yeah, but who is he? Where's Jeff?" Don asked again.

Sara lowered her head. "I left him. Greg saved me."

Greg stepped forward. "It's kind of a long story. Suffice to say that she was no longer safe with him."

"How did you get her out of there?"

"He went out of town and we figured now was as good a time as any."

Don nodded and gave Greg a hearty slap on his shoulder. "Good for you, son. I'm glad someone was looking out for our little girl. We never did like the son of a bitch. Even though he did right by marrying her, I never thought it would last."

"It doesn't matter now," Betty smiled at Greg. "She's home and safe with us now. We'll call our lawyer and get the divorce papers drawn up, and then..."

"Wait!" Sara said, holding her hand up. "Then he'll know where I am. He'll come after me. Us."

"She's probably right," Greg nodded.

"Why don't we go inside and talk about it," Don said as he gestured them all to the front door. "It's getting chilly out here. You kids hungry? Betty's been slavin' over a pot roast all day."

"You are staying for supper aren't you, Greg?" Betty asked, looking hopeful.

Greg's mouth watered at the thought of a home cooked meal. "I guess I could," he shrugged and followed them inside.

The house smelled heavenly of pot roast cooking and as he looked around, he saw that the house was much bigger inside than it looked on the outside.

"Dinner will be ready in half an hour. Sara dear, why don't you give Greg a tour of the house and show him to his room. It doesn't matter which one." She glanced at him. "You are staying the night, aren't you?"

He grinned at her. "I wouldn't mind."

"Then it's settled."

"Come on, Greg," Sara said as she grabbed his hand and dragged him from room to room, showing him where everything was. Then they headed upstairs to where the bedrooms were. There was a plain bedroom, very masculine looking. "You can take this one, I guess."

"Great." There was a bathroom between his room and another room which Sara claimed as her own.

"Ohhh good, they brought it.." she said as she pointed to the bear skin rug on the floor.

"I guess they don't care about PETA," Greg smirked.

"I used to lie down on this and read a book growing up. And I always wondered what it would be like to make love on it," she said as she smiled at him. "Hell, I always wondered what it would be like to make love anywhere."

"It's not going to happen, Sara," Greg said as he looked down at her. "I'm probably older than your father."

"So? Age is just a number. You never struck me as the type to care about that."

"I do when the girl's daddy is sleeping under the same roof as I am. And didn't you say he's a minister?"

"Yeah, so? What does that have to do with anything?"

"I'm sure he'd just love to have me violate his only daughter under his own roof."

"I doubt he even suspects that I think of you that way. To him, you're a saint who saved his little girl from the big bad man. You can do no wrong."

"Yeah, so let's keep it that way, shall we? I'm going back downstairs. I'm hungry."

Sara followed him with a scowl on her face and they all sat down to dinner. Don sat at the head of the table across from his wife, and Greg sat across from Sara who was still fuming over being rejected.

Dinner was amazing, and Greg was beginning to think that sticking around was a very good idea, at least until Thanksgiving where he could have some home cooked turkey the way it was supposed to be. As they sipped their wine, Greg noticed the piano sitting in the corner of the living room. "Anyone play that?" he asked.

"No. Do you play, Greg?" Betty inquired in an all too pleasant voice.

"Yeah. I played in a lounge when I lived in Vegas for awhile."

"Oh how lovely. Will you play for us?"

"Is there going to be dessert?" he asked with a wicked grin, as if it was the only way he'd consider playing for them.

Betty smiled. "Of course. I made an Angel food cake this afternoon."

"Sold," he nodded as he took one last sip of his wine and got up from the table. As Betty and Sara cleared the dinner dishes, Don poured Greg and himself a snifter of Brandy and took a seat in the living room while Greg sat on the piano bench and cracked his knuckles.

"What kind of music do you play?" Don asked.

"Jazz and blues mostly. Hope that's okay. I'll start off light."

"He plays the guitar too," Sara called out from the kitchen. "Jack of all trades, he is."

"And you like him," Betty said as she put whip cream on each piece of cake and topped it off with a cherry.

"How could I not? He saved my life, Mom. Jeff was basically holding me prisoner. I couldn't do anything without him breathing down my neck all the time." She chose not to tell her parents about Lenny. They'd completely freak out anyway. She didn't want to do that to them. Besides, it's not like she knew where he'd gone if her father decided to go after him. Not even Greg knew where he went, and neither of them seemed to care. All she did know was that Lenny was her way out of a bad marriage and now she was going to end it. But somehow she didn't think it was going to be that easy.


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: Thanks for everyone's comments and hi to my new readers :) Sorry for the long wait but I've been working my ass off, literally, which doesn't leave me much time to post these days, and I'm still working on this** **so please, be patient with me :)**_

_**Warning: There's talk of porn and self-gratification in this chapter. Not like anyone cares but...just putting it out there.  
**_

**Chapter Ten**

The cold weather was a slap in the face compared to what Greg was used to and it made his leg ache even more, which made him irritable and moody. The methadone still worked well but did nothing for the dull ache due to the cold, crisp air.

Thanksgiving was coming and Sara's parents planned to go visit Don's brother in another town. Sara didn't like her uncle very much so she opted to stay home and cook a small turkey for herself and Greg. Of course, her real motivation was to have some alone time with him and hopefully win him over. He was still playing hard to get, acting like he wasn't interested, but she couldn't help notice him glancing at her and watching her when he thought she wasn't looking.

So she started dressing more provocatively, hoping he would notice her a little more. Her parents would be gone for a week, and she had a feeling that if she didn't do something soon, he'd leave.

Greg was already considering leaving once he realized what her game was. She was so blatantly obvious he almost considered playing along just to see how far she'd go to get his attention. It wasn't that he didn't like her, or even think about her, because he did, but she had a lot of baggage. Part of that being repressed and inexperienced when it came to sex. He wasn't sure he had the patience to go down _that_ road, least of all with someone as young as she was.

One night when he'd gotten up to get a glass of water, he heard noises coming from her bedroom so he opened the adjoining door to peek in. Sara was watching porn on her laptop computer. It wasn't even good porn, and she looked somewhat bored. The next night she was watching it again and he couldn't keep his mouth shut any longer.

"If you're going to watch two people having sex, watch the amateur stuff. At least that's real people fucking each other."

Sara slapped her computer shut and turned around to face him, her face red with embarrassment. "How dare you! Were you spying on me?"

"No, I was using the bathroom and I heard the noise."

"I..."

Greg smirked as he leaned against the doorway. "What? Never watched porn before?"

"I wasn't allowed."

"I'll bet you haven't stroked the kitty, either, have you?"

"Huh?"

"Said yoo-hoo to the hoo hoo."

"What?"

"Ya-Ya'd the sisterhood."

When she still seemed confused he merely laughed. He had the same conversation years ago with a concerned mother in the clinic. It was déjà vu. "Gotten yourself off."

Her eyes widened. "Oh my God...no! I've never..."

"Never?"

"No."

"Lemme guess. Mommy and Daddy told you that it was a sin. Have you ever even had an orgasm?"

"I—don't know..."

"What do you mean you don't know? You either have or you haven't. Which is it?"

Sara thought about it. "I've tried touching myself. Nothing ever really happened."

"I'm guessing you never had one with Jeff, either huh?"

"Ha! Yeah right! It was always all about him. He didn't care if I was or wasn't into it. He just wanted to get off. To hell with my pleasure. And he never took the time to ask if I was enjoying myself."

"That's too bad. Someone I used to work with once said "if God hadn't made it so unbelievably fun, the human race would've died out long ago."

"Fun?"

Greg nodded. "I'm sure you were taught the opposite. That nice girls don't enjoy it, or sexual intercourse should only be for the purpose of making babies. Forget all that crap. It's total bullshit. Let me ask you something, since we're being candid here..."

"What?" Sara asked, squirming in her seat. She had an idea she wasn't going to like what he was going to ask her.

"Other than Lenny, when was the last time you had sex? And going further, how long did it last?"

"A month ago, before Jeff went on that trip. And it took all of ten minutes. I remember because I had dinner in the oven and he came home and wanted to do it right then and the timer had ten minutes left."

"Wow."

Sara opened her laptop again, suddenly feeling a little more brave. "I'll bet you could teach me some stuff, Greg."

He laughed again. "Yeah I could, but I won't. I might help you though. To learn some things about yourself. Namely how to get yourself off and release some of that pent up frustration you've got."

"I'm not frustrated!" she pouted.

"Yeah right. You're watching porn. And it's not even good porn. It's the cheesy, Dirk Diggler porn that was made years ago."

She scrunched up her face in confusion. "Who's Dirk Diggler?"

"It doesn't matter. The point is that stuff is crap and hardly entertaining. If you want to watch people have sex, watch REAL people have REAL sex. None of that Debbie Does Dallas crap, either. That stuff you're watching? It's not real. It's all staged and very edited. "

She moved the computer so it was facing him. "Then find me some, since you're such an expert."

"Gladly." He said and took a seat next to her on the bed. "What are you into? Just plain sex? Or do you like to spice it up a little?"

"How do you mean?"

"Do you want some girl on girl action? Threesomes? Bondage? Fetish? Gangbangs? Orgies—"

"Gang bangs."

She said it with such conviction that Greg wasn't sure if she was yanking his chain or what. "You want to see a gangbang?"

"Is that the same as an orgy?"

"Not exactly. An orgy is like a bunch of people in the same room having sex with each other. A gangbang is usually one girl with several guys."

"Sounds kinda sexy. Find me that."

Greg shrugged and began to surf the site she was on while she looked over his shoulder. With a few mouse clicks, he found what she was after.

"I'm going back to bed," he yawned. "Enjoy. Maybe you'll learn something. G'night."

In the morning, Greg was sitting at the kitchen table buttering some toast when Sara padded in and went to the coffee machine. He casually glanced over at her and saw the dark circles under her eyes.

"Please don't tell me you were watching porn all night. You look like shit."

"Okay then I won't tell you!" she snapped back as she poured milk into her coffee and added sugar.

"Well I hope you got off after all that, because then it would be a waste."

When she didn't say anything, Greg rolled his eyes and groaned. "Okay! Okay fine. I'll help you."

She cocked her head to one side. "Help me?"

"Well you're obviously doing something wrong. Didn't you like what you were watching?"

She shrugged. "At first it was kind of hot. But then after watching a few others, they all seemed to be the same. So I checked out some other categories. My God, there are so many! I don't even know what half that stuff even is, and frankly, I don't know if I want to. Do you get turned on by that?"

Greg shrugged. "I'm a guy, and men are typically more visually stimulated than women are. So seeing a woman with nice tits and ass bent over is going to get a reaction. What did you see last night that you liked?"

Sara actually blushed as she took a long sip. It was like she was contemplating how to answer the question. "Teacher, student. Young woman, older guy, Doctor, patient..."

"Okay okay. I see a theme here. We'll work with that. But not now. I have to go into town and get a refill of my meds. Tomorrow's thanksgiving, too. Are you still cooking a turkey for us?"

"Sure. Want me to go with you? I'll go get the groceries and you can get your stuff."

"Fine. Be ready in half an hour. I wanna go before the turkeys get picked over."

Thirty minutes later, they were in the car headed to the store. On the way, Greg spotted an adult shop. "Ever been in one of those?" he asked her as he pointed it out as they sat at a stoplight.

"What? Are you kidding me?"

"Is that a no?"

"That's a hell no. I would die of embarrassment."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I just would."

"That settles that then," he said and when the light turned green, he took the next right and pulled into the parking lot of the shop.

"What're you doing? I'm not going in there."

"Yes you are. And so am I. This is one of those things you have to experience at least once. Who knows, maybe you'll even like it. It's probably not what you're expecting."

"I hope not."

"What do you think you're going to find when you walk in there? Guys in trench coats flashing young girls and jerking off as they look at the porn selection? Because that won't happen. This is a major chain. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Now let's go."

When they first walked in, Greg could tell that Sara was amazed. It was a very nice store with a large DVD selection, but there were other sections that catered to every desire imaginable. She followed him around like a lost puppy as he pointed to things and showed her certain toys. Walking past the costume section, Sara stopped and stared at a school girl outfit on the rack.

"You'd look hot in that," he said, and he meant it.

"Really?"

"Really. You should get it. Have you ever role played before?"

"No. But I used to be in the drama club in high school and after seeing some of the porn last night..."

"Get it then. See anything else?"

"Hmm," she said, suddenly feeling less shy than she was five minutes ago. She walked past the costumes into the fetish section and found a pair of furry handcuffs.

"Now you just need a sexy cop outfit. You could be the cop, and I'd be the prisoner who overpowers you," he teased. But he noticed she was blushing, and her breath had quickened significantly. "I saw a cop outfit right over there," he said, pointing to it. "Snap it up."

While she did that, he grabbed a couple of things and tossed them into the basket. When she returned, she saw the items and gave him a look. "Seriously?"

"What's wrong? You need some toys, and I'll have fun showing you how to use them."

"The dildo is pretty self explanatory but what's this?" she said as she held up a vibrating cock ring.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out," he said with a wicked grin. They went to the DVD section and he found them a couple of movies that they could watch together. Nothing too crazy, just basic sexy movies with couples.

"Can we get some of this?" she asked as she held up a bottle of strawberry flavored lube.

"Sure. Get the flavored massage oil too. It gets warm when you blow on it."

She selected a mint flavored oil and they took all their purchases up to the cashier. She was embarrassed of course, but that quickly faded when the cashier simply rang up the items without a word.

"That was—I don't even know. Amazing," she said once they were outside.

"See? You got all worked up for nothing. You had fun, didn't you?"

"Yeah, actually."

"Then that's all that matters."

"I hope we can have fun later," she said as she placed her hand on his arm.

"If you're good."

"Hey! Aren't I always?"

"Sitting up all night watching porn and not getting off at least once? Bad, bad, bad."

"That's what I have you for. You're going to show me."

"I can't believe you've never had an orgasm? Not even once?"

"Not that I know of. I think I'd know."

"Most likely."

After getting their things at the store, Greg also grabbed a box of condoms. Having sex with Sara wasn't on his top ten list to begin with, but as they spent more time together since they arrived in Kansas, he figured it was probably inevitable. Especially since she kept teasing him by wearing skimpy outfits around the house and looking at him like he was some kind of sex symbol. He never considered himself such, but she saw something in him that made him think that maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to be with her. She was certainly smart enough to keep a conversation with him, and she was definitely easy on the eyes. He was curious to see how things would develop between them.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: So you guys want another update, huh? ;) I can do that.**

Chapter Eleven

After dinner, Greg was tired and stretched out on the couch in front of the TV. He knew what Sara wanted. She kept staring at him all through dinner and later on as well. When the show he was watching was over, she went away without a word, and he hoped she'd given up and gone to bed.

Those hopes were dashed when she came back downstairs dressed in her schoolgirl outfit and looking hotter than Alicia Silverstone in the Aerosmith "Crazy" video.

"Well, aren't you a walking felony," he chuckled. He couldn't deny the reaction that she was getting. His jeans suddenly felt tight and uncomfortable. He started at her shoes, black mary janes, knee high white stockings, the pleated red skirt that was just barely long enough to conceal everything, her flat, toned stomach and then the white shirt that was tied loosely in a knot. It barely concealed her breasts and it was obvious she wasn't wearing a bra. Her hair was up in a ponytail at the back.

"What? No pigtails?" he teased.

She merely shrugged but she didn't move. It was as if she were waiting for him to do something. That's when he realized she wanted to role play. Well fine, he could get into that role.

"So where's your homework, young lady?" he asked in a serious tone that he used to use on his fellows.

"I...it's not done, sir."

"Why not?"

"Well, my boyfriend came over and..."

"Save it!" He shouted, making her jump a little. "I'm sick of your excuses. What am I going to do with you? Do you want to flunk?"

"No."

"Well you're in danger of doing it if you don't get your grades up."

"I can't flunk. My parents would kill me!" she pleaded. "Please, I'll do anything. I need to pass."

"What you need is a good spanking," he said.

The look on her face was priceless. It was a mix of pure horror and surprise. "Am I going to have to take you over my knee? Because that's what I'm thinking."

"No, please don't," she begged. "I've never been spanked my whole life."

"Somehow I find that hard to believe."

"It's true."

"Then you're going to have to convince me you deserve to pass. I've taken a particular interest in you, Sara. Your boyfriend is very lucky," he said as he gently stroked her cheek, amazed at how clear and smooth her skin was.

"You're my favorite teacher, sir. I've always had a secret crush on you. My boyfriend was jealous, and you know what? He should be. You're a man. He's nothing but a boy," she smiled as she slid her finger down his chest. It was the first time she ever touched him, and she was surprised to find nothing but hard sculpted muscles beneath his Tshirt.

"Well, I think we can help each other," he said as he pulled on the elastic that held her ponytail in place and let her long blonde hair fall down around her shoulders.

"Sexy." Then he untied the knot in her shirt and it fell open to reveal a pair of very nice breasts underneath. He cupped one of them in his hand and squeezed, making her gasp. Then he bent his head and took one of her nipples in his mouth, suckling and licking gently as she moaned softly, placing her hands on his shoulders for balance as she stood there. He moved to the other breast and did the same thing, noticing only then that it was pierced. He gently tugged on the ring and she jumped. "Is it sensitive?"

"Yeah," she breathed as she watched him. His mouth, mixed with the stubble he wore was a very pleasant mix of pleasure and pain. He pulled the shirt from her and tossed it on the floor. She grabbed the hem of his Tshirt and lifted it up in return. He pulled it off himself until they were standing face to face. Then he reached under her skirt and peeled her panties down her legs until she stepped out of them. He noticed they were wet when he crumpled them up and stuffed them in his pocket.

She unbuckled his belt and unzipped his jeans with an effort to take them off but he stopped her. He wasn't ready for her to see his scar just yet. "Not now." He unhooked her skirt and it fell to the floor, leaving her in nothing but her stockings and her shoes. Her legs were amazing and he slid his hands over them, pulling her closer so she was standing between his legs as he sat on the couch.

"I want you to teach me everything, Mr. Lazarus," she whispered as she placed her hands on his face, feeling the rough whiskers against her fingertips.

"Oh I will," he nodded before he pulled her closer and took one of her nipples in his mouth again as he slipped his hand over her mound, enjoying the soft blonde curls there. She was incredibly wet already and when he slipped his fingers between her folds, she shuddered and arched her back.

"Oh! Nobody's ever touched me like this before," she whispered, eyes still closed as he stroked her with his hand.

"Never? What about your boyfriend?"

"He was never like this."

"More like—this?" he asked and roughly fingered her so she gasped.

"Unnghh. Yeah."

"That's what you get for dating boys. That doesn't feel good, does it?"

"No."

"But when I do this," he said as he went back to gently stroking her, "how's that?"

"Amazing. So good..."

"You can do this yourself, you know," he told her. He took her hand and placed it where his was, and guided her. Her skin was lightly flushed and her breathing had quickened. "Once you figure out how to get yourself off, you'll be able to do it whenever you want."

She spread her legs a little wider to allow him more access but he ignored that. He wanted her to beg for it.

"I'm going to do to you what nobody else has," he said and then removed his hand, but not without a groan from her. He moved aside and pointed to the couch. "Lie down."

She did what he asked without argument and watched with wide eyes as he straddled her, grateful that the couch was wide enough for both of them. He bent down and began to place kisses up each leg, getting close to the place where she ached for him to touch, and then groaned when he moved away from it.

"Hmm. If you want something, you have to ask for it. I'm not a mind reader, Sara."

"I don't know how," she whimpered as he continued to stroke her legs. "Just do whatever you want to me."

"You might want to rethink that. What I want to do might not be something you'll like."

"Screw the role play, Greg, and just..."

Now he was amused. "Just what? I want to hear you ask for it."

"I can't..."

"Yes you can. Just say it. It's hot when a woman asks for what she wants."

"I want you to fuck me, Greg!"

"See, now that was hot," he whispered in her ear as he nipped her earlobe and then began kissing her neck. He rubbed his chest against hers as he stretched out on top of her. "No more role play, huh?" he chuckled. "Okay, we'll have it your way this time. But next time I'm in charge. Got it?"

She nodded eagerly and smiled up at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to kiss her.

It was a tentative kiss at first, lips gently brushing against lips. But it was Sara who slipped her tongue into his mouth and he playfully bit it, earning another gasp from her. Their tongues slid against each other and her lips were soon a deep shade of pink from whisker burn. He was an amazing kisser, but she was reasonably sure she gave as good as she got.

After several minutes of necking on the couch, his cock was straining against his jeans making him very uncomfortable and he sat up to pull them off, covering his scar as best he could with his hand but she had seen it.

"Is that why your leg hurts so much?"

He nodded, studying her reaction. He didn't see pity or sympathy in her eyes.

"Doesn't seem to affect you in times like these," she smiled at him as she placed her hand over his. "I've wanted you since the first day you spoke to me," she whispered, still stroking the back of his hand. She loved his long fingers. "A scar isn't going to make a lick of difference."

"_Oh no,"_ Wilson groaned. He sounded like he was sitting right next to them. _"You can't seriously be considering this! House, come on! She has some serious issues. The rape only happened weeks ago. There's no way she's emotionally ready for this, even though she thinks she is."_

Greg knew Wilson was right. He gave Sara a weak smile, even though he knew it wasn't going to help much.

"Sara," he said, "it's only been a few weeks since we've been here, and since the whole Lenny incident. I want this too, believe me."

"So then let's do it," she said, touching his face gently.

"I don't want you to jump into something you might regret later."

She frowned and took her hand away. "You just don't want to be with me."

"No, that's not it. I do, and I will. But when you're ready for it. If we jumped into this now, I think later on you'd resent me for it."

"No," she shouted and then reached for her shirt. "That's total crap."

"Is it? I think you need to talk to someone about what happened at least."

"I don't need a shrink," she said, sounding very indignant.

"You need something. As smart as I am, psychology isn't my specialty." He closed his eyes and wished he hadn't just said that. He hoped she'd ignore it, but the way she was staring at him told him that wasn't going to happen.

"I knew it," she hissed as she tied her shirt up. "I knew you were a fake."

"Excuse me?"

"You had me going. I believed that you were just some wandering nomad type."

"I am."

"You also told me you're a musician."

"I am that too."

"You're hiding something. You don't have to hide from me, Greg. I bared my soul and told you everything about me. I thought you could trust me enough to do the same."

"It's not that simple," he said, rubbing his temples to stave off the headache that was sure to come. "It's not that I don't want to tell you. I just can't."

"Why? Did you kill someone?"

"Sort of."

"Sort of? How do you sort of kill someone? You either do or you don't. There's no in between."

When he didn't say anything, she sighed. "You're secretly married. Is that it?"

He shook his head. If she was so hell bent on getting answers, he was going to make her work for it.

"No. At least, not anymore."

"Why are you being so evasive? Why can't you just give me a straight answer?"

"If you want to know, keep asking."

"I'm not going to if you keep giving me vague answers!"

"Fine with me," he said and got up from the couch. "I'm going to bed."

He got up, grabbed his shirt and his jeans and went to the kitchen to take his meds while Sara turned off the TV and the lights and locked up.

Once House was in bed, he stared up at the ceiling. "I know you're there. I can feel your disapproval. So get on with it so I can go to sleep."

"_You did a good thing, House. You know it."_

"Yeah, and now she probably hates me."

"_No, she doesn't. She's just hurt because you rejected her."_

"Yeah but I can't keep doing that. If you hadn't come along when you did, we'd probably still be at it."

"_You're welcome,_" Wilson said, sounding amused.

"You think I can keep turning her down?"

"_No. She is kinda hot. I envy you there. But you shouldn't rush into anything."  
_

"Says the man who's been married three times. It's a good thing you're dead or you'd be all over her."

"_Possibly. But I am dead, so she's all yours."_

House's eyes opened but there was nobody there. Just the voice in his head. "You mean you're actually condoning this?"

_"It's obviously going to happen one way or another. You'll do what's right in the end. You always do."_

"It's not supposed to be this hard. I was supposed to deliver her to safety and move on."

"_Where were you planning to go next?"_

"New Orleans. I figure I can easily fit right in there. Find a job in some dive somewhere."

"_So why don't you?"_

"I think Sara would think I've abandoned her."

"_You've done your part, House. You don't owe her anything."_

"I know, but it doesn't make it easier."

"_Nothing worthwhile is easy, House."_

"You can say that again."

"_Nothing worthwhile is easy, House."  
_

"Shut up."

Wilson laughed. "_Gnight, House."_

"Gnight, Wilson."


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: Well, since some of you guys begged me to update again, here it is :P I hope you're happy. I'm going to bed now so I can work my ass off for 3 more straight days. What fun :P**_

**Chapter Twelve**

When Greg came downstairs he found Sara in the kitchen stuffing the turkey. "A little early, isn't it?"

"I got a big one so we can have lots of leftovers and I can make soup. It'll take most of the day to cook so I thought I'd get a head start. There's coffee ready."

He nodded and went over to the coffee maker to pour himself some, then stirred in some sugar. "About last night..."

Sara shook her head. "We don't need to talk about it. You made things perfectly clear about where I stand."

"I did?"

"You don't want me, after what happened with Lenny it's not like I blame you."

"You think that's it? You are so wrong. But, you said you didn't want to talk about it so we won't," he shrugged.

"I wasn't going to, but you brought it up, so let's go," she said as she went to the sink and washed her hands.

He laughed. "What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to tell me who you really are. You're clearly too smart to just be a musician. And your comment about Psychiatry was kind of a tip off. So what happened? You lose your license in a malpractice suit because you slept with a patient or something?"

"Or something," he said, but he wasn't giving away anymore than that.

"Argh!" she shouted in frustration. "Why can't you just tell me?"

"Because it's no longer important. I'm not a doctor anymore."

"What kind of doctor were you?"

"My specialties were Nephrology and Infectious Diseases."

"Oh. So what happened?"

"I really don't want to go into it. I lost my best friend to cancer a couple of months ago, but I was going back to prison for another offense. I would've been in there for his last days and I wasn't about to let that happen. So I made myself disappear off the face of the earth so I could help him live out the time he had left."

She blinked. "Wow."

"And that's all I'm telling you. I'm sure if you wanted you could go online, and with the clues I've given you, could probably put the puzzle together, but is it really necessary? I'm not a doctor anymore."

"What did you do before you came to Flagstaff?"

"I played piano in a bar in Vegas."

"Why did you leave?"

"I saved a kid's life at a party. With all the camera phones around, I'm sure they would've found me out so I left."

She nodded. "And now you're going to leave, right? Now that I know your secret."

He shrugged. "I haven't decided when, but yeah. Eventually I'll move on. I don't like to stay in one place for too long."

"I don't blame you. This place is a hell hole."

"No it's not. This place is actually not bad. It's kinda grown on me," he smirked as he refilled his cup.

"Well that makes me feel so much better," she said as she rolled her eyes and continued to stuff the turkey. When it was done, she put it in the oven. "There. Now that that's done, I'm going to take a bath." She started to walk away but then turned around and stood in the doorway. "And you don't have to worry. I won't tell anyone about your past because it is the past. Just like I don't expect you to tell anyone about mine. Are we clear?"

He nodded but said nothing as she nodded in return and walked away.

He watched her go and gave his head a shake to clear it. What was he supposed to do now? Stay and see what happened? Or pack his stuff and get the hell out before she told someone. He doubted many, if any, in Kansas knew anything about the medical field to know who he was if she did tell so he was probably safe. At least for awhile. He didn't relish the idea of driving down to New Orleans during the holidays. He'd wait until after the New Year if all went well. He just hoped Sara would keep her promise, because if she didn't, things were going to go very badly for everyone. And he wouldn't tolerate that.

X X X

The sound of the piano filled the room as Greg played before dinner, stopping once or twice to sip the wine they would be having. When Sarah called him to sit down, he entered the dining room and sat at one end of the table, her at the other. "Will you play some more for me after dinner?" she asked while they ate.

"Sure. This turkey turned out amazing."

"Yeah it is good."

"I think the chef had a little something to do with that."

"Just a little?" she grinned across the table at him.

"Okay a lot. Nobody likes a braggart."

Sarah snorted in amusement but went back to eating. When they were done, she brought out the pumpkin pie with a large dollop of whip cream on top. "Did you make this too?" he asked her.

"The pie yes, the whip cream, no. How is it?" she asked after he took a large forkful and stuffed it in his mouth.

"Awesome," he mumbled and kept eating.

"I've never seen anyone eat as much as you, and you're so slim. Where do you put it all?"

Greg shrugged. "I've always been this way. It's a gift."

"Lucky you."

After dinner they sat together on the piano bench while he played any song she requested. He pretended not to notice when her hand placed gently on his good thigh and lightly traced invisible patterns.

Casually glancing over at her, he took note of what she was wearing as if he hadn't really seen it before. Her top was a light blue sequined camisole and she wore soft silky lounge pants of the same color.

"Still don't want me, Greg?" she asked as she looked up at him with such a longing it made his heart ache and his cock stand at attention.

Was he really going to keep denying her? Was it worth it? Was Wilson right in that she might resent him for it later? Did he care?

"I never said that," he said, his throat feeling a little tighter than usual all of a sudden. "I merely said that I didn't think it was a good idea now."

"You seemed all into it last night until you had some kind of revelation."

"Oh, like you being half my age?"

"Is that what's really bothering you?"

"Not as much as the other thing."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Oh right, the whole 'you're just a damaged rape victim' thing."

"Sarah...try to see this from my point of view."

"No! It wasn't as bad as you think. It was consensual. At least it was at first until things got rough and just plain scary. The tying me up part was not my idea and then you came to my rescue," she said and gently touched his scruffy cheek. "Let me put it to you this way. Jeff is no doubt looking for me. Eventually he will find me and I have no doubt that he'll kill me." Greg opened his mouth to speak but she placed her finger against his lips. "No, I know this. What I'm saying is that I want to know what it feels like to be made love to by someone who cares about me as a person and not just a sex object. I know you care about me, Greg. You wouldn't have gone through all this trouble if you didn't. Please, Greg. Just one night. That's all I ask."

"It'll never be just one night though," he said. "It's like eating just one potato chip."

"Who's to say it can't happen again?" she smiled as she offered him her hand.

He got up and let her lead him to her bedroom without a word. He knew if he said something, anything, he'd lose his nerve so he kept quiet.

Her room was dark, save for the stream of moonlight that shone through the window. Without it, he wouldn't be able to see his hand in front of his face, or her gorgeous body as she pulled her camisole over her head and revealed her very round breasts with perfect pink nipples.

"Mmm...Greg," she moaned as he took one of them in his hand and squeezed gently. "God...I've wanted you like this for so long..."

"Shhh...no talking," he whispered. "You're killing the mood."

Sarah giggled softly as he guided her towards the bed and swept his arm across it to get rid of all the fluffy pillows. She couldn't even remember how she ended up in the bed under the covers with him. Suddenly their clothes were gone and they were touching each other, exploring with their hands and their mouths like two people who'd been separated for years.

And when he made love to her, it was the sweetest thing ever. At least, for her. Nobody had ever been so gentle with her, or so focused on her pleasure before his own. It was the best experience she'd ever had, and she hoped he would feel the same way.


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N: Here's another update before I go to bed. Thanks everyone for all the comments :) It helps to know people are still into this story. When I'm done this, I'll start posting my NaNo '12 fic. Woo! Won't that be a treat? haha. I also have another story brewing in my head. We'll see how that turns out. If it does.**_

Chapter 13

Sunlight shone through the sheer curtains first thing in the morning, rousing Sarah from a deep and very satisfying sleep. She stretched luxuriously but frowned when she realized she was alone in the large bed, and the sheets were cold, meaning Greg had been gone for some time. With a sigh, she got up, threw on a robe and went to the kitchen to find him toasting a bagel.

"Hungry?" she smiled as she went to the coffee maker and was thrilled to see a full pot sitting there. She grabbed a mug from the cupboard and filled it.

"Mhm. When are your parents coming home?"

"Some time tonight. Why?"

He gave her a small smile that made her melt. "No reason."

"Uh-huh. Now tell me."

He moved a little closer to her as he took a big bite out of his bagel. "I just wanted to know."

"Why?"

"So if we decided to do it again, they wouldn't walk in on something."

"Hmm." Sarah put her cup down on the counter and wrapped her arms around his neck. "So I guess you can't eat just one potato chip."

"I'm not gonna lie. Last night was hot."

She smiled up at him as he placed his hands on her hips. "Yeah it was. But then I knew I would be. You are an amazing man, Greg. You made me feel alive last night."

"Stop, you're making me blush."

"It's true. I've never been with someone who was so intent on making sure I was enjoying myself. And I think..." she trailed off and her face went a very becoming shade of pink.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Oh no, you can't start a sentence and then not deliver. Out with it. You think...what?"

"Nobody's ever given me multiple orgasms before. Hell, no guy has ever given me one, period. Until you, of course."

He looked at her like she was crazy but she nodded. "It's true. All the guys I've been with have only been in it for themselves. They never asked me if I was having any fun."

"Well little girl, that's what you get for being with boys, not men."

"Clearly," she smiled as she ran a finger down his chest. "Was I...okay?"

He gave her another look that told her she was nuts and then laughed. "You were a little hellcat and I felt like an old man. I was worried I wouldn't be able to keep up with you."

"Oh, not an issue. Those were some pretty fancy moves last night. If anything, I felt like a virgin on her wedding night."

"You didn't act like one," he grinned and then slid his hands up her back, pulling her in a little closer. "That fancy move you did last night...what do you call that?"

Sarah blushed and laughed. "Stop."

"What? It was hot."

"I don't remember what it's called," she laughed. "I read about it in Cosmo."

"Well what else have you got to surprise me with?" he asked as he slid his hands up and down her back.

"What? Now?"

"Why not?"

She looked down at the floor. "When I woke up this morning and you weren't there I thought..."

"I was hungry!"

"I know that now, but you have to admit that it didn't look very good. I know you didn't want to do it at all. And so I thought you were upset."

He shook his head. "Nope. Not upset." He playfully tapped the end of her nose. "And I'd do it again in a second."

Sarah smiled. "So what's stopping you?" she asked as she reached for his hands.

"Not a thing," he said and walked with her back to her bedroom.

X X X

_"I suppose you're proud of yourself,"_ Wilson stated.

"As a matter of fact yes. Yes I am. So?"

_"And you're going to break her heart when you leave."_

"She's young. She'll get over it."

_"You could always take her with you. She was right, you know."_

"About what?"

_"Jeff is closing in fast."_

Greg sat up. "You know this for a fact?"

_"Let's just say I have it on good authority. He plans to, as they say, clean house. Forgive the pun."_

"Where should I go?"

_"Where do you want to go?"_

"New Orleans was my next stop."

_"So go. You'd fit in down there. But I suggest leaving now."_

Greg nodded and began gathering his clothes. He wasn't quick enough in his haste, because Sarah was walking past and saw what he was up to. "What's going on?" she asked as she leaned against the door frame.

"I was thinking about what you said and it might be a good idea to get out of here."

"Just like that?"

"Yeah. You can come with me if you want, but I'm leaving today."

"I can't just leave."

"Why not?"

"My parents..."

"So tell them you're with me, just don't tell them where."

"Why the sudden urgency?"

"I think Jeff is hot on our trail. And when he finds you, it won't be pretty. I don't like the idea of leaving you behind like a lamb to the slaughter, but I rather like being alive. So I'm leaving."

"Where?"

"New Orleans."

"What's in New Orleans, Greg?"

"Music. My kind of music. I've never been and I've always wanted to go. It seems like a good place to retire to."

"I...I can't just pack up and leave."

"Then stay." He zipped his suitcase and took it to the front door. Her eyes were glazed with tears as she watched him gather the rest of his things. "If you ever decide to come to New Orleans, give me a call. You have my cell number. Just don't give it to anyone else."

"What? You're leaving right now?"

"Yeah. I think I'm gonna ditch the SUV and get a motorcycle once I'm out of the state."

Sarah placed her hands on his shoulders and looked up at him. "You're an amazing man, Greg. In case I haven't told you that already."

He smiled down at her. "You did a few times last night, and this morning."

"No I mean in general. You saved my life. And for that, I'll never forget you. Ever."

"Just remember, my invitation still stands. You could always come down for Mardi Gras in February."

"That sounds fun."

"That's what I've heard. Anyway, I'm outta here." He meant to kiss her on the cheek, but she turned her head at the right moment and his lips ended up exactly where she intended them to. They shared a long, lingering kiss that lasted several minutes until the need for air was too great and he broke it. "Take care of yourself."

She tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall as she watched him toss his things into the car and get in behind the wheel.

When he drove out of sight, she closed the front door, leaned against it and let the tears come.

* * *

**_A/N: Yeah, Greg left her. But hey, she didn't want to leave so what was he to do? I haven't decided what I'm going to do with her yet. I'm sorta on the fence on that. In the meantime, Greg is bound for New Orleans. Seems harmless enough, right? Hehe yeah, I'm not buyin it either :P_**


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N: So, we've reached House's final destination. It's New Orleans or bust :) FYI I just began working on chapter 17 so we have a ways to go yet.**_

Chapter Fourteen

The bright lights of New Orleans mesmerized Greg as he rode his new motorcycle through the city. It was all so overwhelming that he didn't know where to look first, where to go first. However, his rumbling stomach told him that food was a first priority so he kept his eye out for the nearest restaurant and found a hole-in-the-wall place that looked packed from the window. That was always a good sign. He made an illegal U-turn and pulled up in front of the restaurant just as a police car pulled in next to his bike and a female cop got out.

"You there," she called to him, waving him over. "Hang on just a minute."

He turned and faced the cop, looking her up and down approvingly. She was cute, much shorter than he was, but very well-built and he had no doubt she'd be able to take him down in a New York minute.

"Is there a problem, Officer?" he asked as he gave her his most charming smile. He didn't turn on the charm often, but when he did, most women fell hook, line and sinker.

The cop gave him a sidelong glance and he could've sworn one corner of her mouth turned up in a smile, but then was gone in an instant.

"You made an illegal U-turn over there," she said as she reached into her back pocket for her ticket book.

"Oh come on! You're seriously going to write me up a ticket? I'm from out of town and I'm starving. I saw this place so I turned around. Look," he said pointing to the quiet road. "It's almost midnight and the roads are quiet. It's not like I would've caused an accident."

"Rules are there for a reason Mr..."

"Just call me Greg," he said with another charming smile. He was on a mission to wear her down and talk his way out of a ticket.

"Can I see some ID, _Greg_?" she asked, his name dripping from her lips with disdain.

He sighed and took out his wallet, handing over his ID. "Nevada, huh? Long way from home."

Greg shrugged. "It just happened to be where I was living when my driver's license expired."

"So where are you from?"

"I prefer the term "wandering nomad," he grinned.

"I see," she said as she handed back the license. "Well, Mr. Lazarus, I'm going to let you off with a warning this time. But if I see you violating more traffic laws, I _will_ write you up."

He nodded and tried not to look smug. "Thanks." Then he gestured to the restaurant. "This place any good?"

"The best. My dad owns it and runs it. So if it's good food you're after, this is the place."

"Good to know. So, got a first name? Lieutenant..." he said, squinting to read the name on her badge, "Lafayette?"

She smirked and flipped open her ticket book as she took a pen from behind her ear and bit off the cap.

"Yeah. It's Lieutenant."

Yes, he was definitely taken with the cop. She was definitely pretty, with strawberry blonde hair tied into a French braid that went halfway down her back and steely grey eyes that looked ice cold. She had broad shoulders and he could see from her well-sculpted arms that she did indeed workout.

"Gotcha. Well thanks for the tip, and for letting me off the hook, this time. Won't happen again," he said as he placed his helmet on the seat of his bike and headed toward the restaurant doors.

"Be sure that it doesn't," she replied as she watched him go, admiring the way his ass fit in the well-worn jeans he had on and gave her head a shake. "Get a grip, Lee," she muttered to herself as she got back in her car.

Inside, Greg found an empty seat at the bar, looked over the menu and placed an order for seafood gumbo and a beer. When his beer came, he took a long sip and relaxed. "Hey," he asked the bartender, "what's the housing situation like around here?"

The man glanced at him as he continued to clean the glasses with a rag. "Actually, someone just moved out of the place upstairs. It's been empty for a week now. Bob, the owner, has been trying to rent it but it's kinda pricy."

"How much?"

"$1100/month with utilities. Fully furnished."

"How many square feet?"

"Uh..." the man thinks, "800 or so, I guess. It's a bachelor pad. You married?"

Greg chuckled into his beer and shook his head. "Nope."

"I'll ask Bob later. In the meantime, there's a good hotel up the road if you're looking for a place to stay. I take it you're not just passing through."

"Nope. I'm planning to stay awhile."

"Well then, welcome to New Orleans! Your drinks are on the house tonight."

Greg was a little overwhelmed by the man's hospitality, but raised his glass to him in a thank-you and drained his beer. In less than a minute, there was a fresh one sitting there.

"We're also open for breakfast if you're so inclined. Ol' Bob back there prides himself on his bacon and eggs."

Greg glimpsed at the kitchen area where a much older man with a beer belly chopped onions.

"Sounds good to me."

His meal was brought out shortly after and he dug in right away. "Good, huh?" the bartender chuckled. "Best authentic food in New Orleans."  
"That would explain why this place is so busy."

After he finished, he left a generous tip and made his way back to his cycle, which had something stuck to the seat. "What the..." he hissed as he grabbed the ticket. The only thing was that it wasn't filled out. All that was written was a phone number. He glanced around but didn't see a patrol car anywhere so he shoved the ticket in his pocket.

He rode down the street to the nearest hotel that looked like it might've been a plantation at one point back in the Civil War and went inside where he was greeted by a young woman who smiled politely at him.

"Welcome to New Orleans, sir. Would you like a room?"

"That's why I'm here," he said as he smiled back at her. _What was it about this place?_ He wondered as he signed in. Everyone's smiles were infectious and they were all so friendly. It was rubbing off on him and he wasn't sure what to make of it.

"_It's called happiness, House,"_ Wilson's voice resonated in his mind. Then there was a wicked chuckle. _"You should try it. Eat thy forbidden fruit."_

"_Shut up,"_ House thought back as the girl handed him a key on a ring.

"Down the hall, last door on the right. I gave you the suite. There's a large soaker tub in there."

"Great. Thanks."

"You're welcome...Mr. Lazarus," she smiled sweetly at him. "If you need anything else, just call the front desk."

He nodded and carried his bag down the hall to his suite, which was quite simple in its decor but very modern with chrome fixtures and clean lines. However, with a full stomach and an aching leg, he took his dose of methadone, changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

X X X

A few days later, Greg found himself back at the same restaurant enjoying happy hour that ran from four to six P.M.

He was getting ready to leave when a woman entered. There was something familiar about her that he couldn't place. She was wearing a red V-neck sweater and slim jeans with knee high boots and her hair was long and hung in curls down over her shoulders. She approached the bar, smiled at Greg as she walked past him and headed to the back.

"'Bout time you got here, Lee," Bob called to her.

"Sorry Dad. Had a situation," she shouted over the crowd as she took her place behind the bar and put on an apron. Her eyes occasionally turned back to Greg but she quickly went about her tasks, taking drink orders and filling pints of beer with expertise.

It took a couple of minutes before all the pieces clicked together in Greg's head and he realized that the blonde bombshell was the cop who pulled him over the other night and gave him her phone number. He reached into his wallet and pulled out the piece of paper. "I heard you're a cop," he said to her. "I need a number traced."

She glanced up at him, a twinkle in her eye. "I don't do that for just anyone."

"Well, here's the thing...she didn't leave her name. So I can't really call her if I don't even know _what_ to call her. You can see my dilemma."

She blushed almost as red as her shirt and bit her bottom lip in a very sexy way. "Perhaps we can just start over from the beginning?"

"What? And skip the sexy cop outfit?"

"What sexy cop outfit?" one of the drunk patrons slurred as he turned around and stared at the two of them. "I wanna see."

"I don't think so. Behave yourself, George."

George looked her over just as Greg had, but it was much more creepy and became even more so when he grabbed her behind and gave it a good squeeze. Without thinking, she pulled back and in her efforts, elbowed Greg in the face, knocking him over.

George found it hysterical and started laughing. Lee pretended to laugh with him until she stepped on his foot and gave him a swift uppercut to the chin, knocking him out stone cold. Some of the other patrons caught him as she turned around and tended to Greg who was picking himself up off the floor and rubbing his nose which was now bleeding.

"Scrappy little thing, aren't you?" he muttered as she handed him a towel.

"Is it broken?" she asked, looking worried.

"If it is, it wouldn't be the first time. But no, I don't think so. I'll live. Just get me an ice pack, STAT."

She hurried off to get it and he sat down heavily on the bar stool, testing his nose to make sure it wasn't indeed broken. Relieved that it was okay, he took the icepack Lee offered him and sighed.

"You were saying something about starting over? Which part did you want to start from?"


	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N: Christmas is almost upon us. Am I ready? Yeah. So why can't I write? I dunno. Too distracted. So here's a chapter in the meantime until I get my groove back.**_

**Chapter Fifteen**

"The beginning is good for me," Lee said as she watched him wiggle his nose a bit more to ensure it really wasn't broken. "I really am sorry about that," she apologized for the third time.

"Are you this nasty to all the customers or just the ones who get fresh?"

She chuckled as she went back to working behind the bar, mixing drinks and cleaning the glasses.

"George is a good guy. He just has the tendency to drink too much and when he does it goes right to his hands."

"I can't say I blame him," Greg said as he took the beer she offered him.

"Something tells me you're not like that."

"Nah, I just get ornery."

"Ornery I can handle. Kinda hard not to in this place. And I grew up with four brothers. Nothing shocks me anymore."

"Is that why you became a cop?"

"Partly. And as you might've noticed, I'm a bit of a tomboy."

Greg pretended to look amazed. "No!"

Lee giggled as she continued to pour drinks for the other patrons. "Yes. It's true."

"Do you like to do tomboyish things?"

"A cop isn't tomboyish?"

"Not as much as you might think. I've known some female cops who are still quite girly girls. What else do you do, when you're not busting people for moving violations?"

"Sometimes I sit in on guitar when the live band plays here."

Now she had House's interest. "What kind of band?"

She shrugged. "Whatever they feel like playing. Some nights it's blues, or jazz. Other times it's hard or classic rock. It all depends on their mood."

"Cool. Well if they need a keyboard player, I'm their man."

Lee glanced at his hands. Long, lean fingers. They made her shiver a little at how steady they were. Like a doctor's.

"I'll let them know. They've been sort of gun shy about hiring anyone new since the last guy quit after only a couple of shows."

"I'm not going anywhere," Greg shrugged and emptied his glass.

"Another?"

"Trying to get me drunk so you can cite me for a DUI and handcuff me?"

"I don't need to bust you to use the cuffs," she grinned, rather saucily and then moved to the other end of the bar to speak to a customer while Greg stared after her. Occasionally she would glance his way, find that he was still watching her and smile before quickly averting her eyes and he smiled back in spite of himself. Meanwhile, the drinks continued to flow until he decided he'd had enough and tossed a ten dollar bill on the bar before he stumbled out of the building.

"Hey!" a female voice called to him as he made his way toward the road that led back to the hotel. He turned around to see Lee standing there. "Need a ride home?"

"A hotel is not home," he replied, a little unsteady on his feet as she came closer.

"I heard you were asking about the room upstairs."

"Is that what you heard?"

"Yeah. Still interested?"

"I might be."

"Well, I might be able to get the rent lowered a bit more if you wanted to do a little extra."

House arched his eyebrow at her. "Extra what?"

"You could play the piano in the bar some nights if you wanted. That is, if you're as good as you say you are."

"There's a piano in the lobby at the hotel. I could audition."

Now Lee looked surprised. "Now?"

"Why not?"

"Well for starters you're drunk."

"Drunk or not, I can still play the piano. But whatever," he shrugged and turned around again to head back to his hotel, feeling her eyes on him.

"Greg! Just...get in the car," she sighed.

He heard the sound of a car door open and he turned around to see a black Dodge Charger and he was stunned.

"I thought you drove a cruiser 24/7."

"Nope. This baby is mine. I drive her when I wanna go incognito."

His face lit up. "Does it have lights and sirens?"

Lee smiled in return, reached into the car, flipped a switch and turned on flashing red and blue lights within the grill.

"Bitchin," he said and opened the passenger door. "Unless you'd rather have me sit in the back like a perp."

"The front is fine."

She drove him the couple of blocks to his hotel and it was late when they entered the lobby. "Would they mind if you played at this hour?" she asked him as she glanced around. The lounge was still open and a few people were sitting on the couches chatting softly.

"Nah, I played a bit the other night and they didn't care. Just as long as it's quiet and I don't break into a riff by Jerry Lee Lewis."

"Can you play as good as him?"

"Nobody can play as good as him."

"Except Liberace."

"Yeah, and he's dead."

He went over to the piano and lifted the cover while Lee took a seat in the nearby chair, waiting for him to begin.

"Any requests?" he asked her.

"Whatever you like is fine with me."

He played Claire De Lune to warm up his hands a little and during that time, Lee went to the lobby bar and brought them both a snifter of Brandy to sip while he played.

"I like a woman who likes her brandy," he said as he finished the song and took a long sip while a few patrons clapped. He nodded his thanks to them and Lee was impressed.

"How about some classic New Orleans blues?"

"Now you're talkin," he said as he cracked his knuckles and began the intro to Tipitina.

"Professor Longhair, nice," Lee smiled as she sat back and listened to him play and then sing. When he was done, the other patrons clapped louder. "Wow, not just a pretty face," she said. "I'd hire you. I doubt the guys would disagree. You clearly have a gift. You feel the music and it shows when you're playing."

"Then my mission is accomplished. So, have you ever stayed here before?"

"No, but I've hung out at the bar plenty."

"My room has a mini bar."

"Does it, now? That's nice."

"Nice?" he smirked as he took another sip. "Wanna see it in person?"

"I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't make it a habit of visiting a stranger's hotel room."

"Oh come on," he groaned. "I'm not a stranger. Just awhile ago you promised to use cuffs on me. Do you talk to all potential suitors like that?"

Lee laughed. "No, not usually but you're a different case. Be that as it may, I'm not going to your hotel room. I don't put out on the first date."

House arched his eyebrow. "I thought this was an audition."

"Stop deflecting."

He chuckled. "Then stop playing hard to get."

"I'm not playing anything," she laughed. "God, you're really a piece of work, aren't you?"

"You have no idea. So...what? You want me to go through the whole courting process? Dinner? Movies? Whatever?"

"It couldn't hurt." Her pager went off and she checked it. "Excuse me. I need to check this."

"There's a phone at the front desk," House said as he pointed to the bored looking clerk sitting there.

Once she was out of earshot, House groaned and rubbed his hands over his face. "I'm too old for this shit."

"_Too old for what, House? Dating? Please!"_ Wilson laughed. He was just barely visible this time, but still transparent.

House blinked. "I can...actually see you."

"_Good."_

House reached out and touched the space where Wilson was sitting but there was nothing to touch. "How are you doing this?"

"_My ghostly powers are getting stronger,"_ Wilson laughed_. "Nobody can see me but you, and no, I'm not a hallucination."_

"Well, that's encouraging. For a minute I was going to call Nolan."

"_No need. You're not going batshit. Now, back to Lee...what's the problem?"_

"I have no idea what there is to do in this city, other than take in some good blues at a local club."

"_Maybe you could ask her to give you the grand tour of the city. Being a cop I'm sure she knows the best places to go."_

"I guess..." House's voice broke off when Lee returned.

"I'm sorry, I have to go. There was a robbery down the street. I've been summoned."

He nodded. "Work beckons."

"I'll let my father know that you're interested in the apartment. He'll talk to you about it the next time you come into the pub."

"Cool. Thanks, I appreciate it."

Once she was gone, House went to his suite and got into bed.

"_You've definitely mellowed, House,"_ Wilson said as he stood in the corner. _"It suits you."_

"Go away and let me sleep."

"_Not until you promise to call her and ask her out."_

"What is this? High school? I can't just call her and ask her out."

"_Why not?"_

"Because that's not how I roll."

"_Well from the looks of it, you're going to have to pull out all the stops. Your blue eyes and sense of humor aren't going to be enough to win her over. She's going to make you work for it. So you're going to have to ask yourself if she's worth it. If not, move on."_

"Yeah yeah."

"_Here's an idea. Talk to her. Take the time to get to know her before you drag her to your bed by her hair."_

"Oh sure, take all the fun out of it."

"_She doesn't strike me as the type to hop into bed with just anyone."_

House knew Wilson was right, as usual but he didn't have to like it.


	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N: I hope everyone is having a great holiday so far. I know I did, having received the House season 1-8 box set. My life is now complete :) That said, here's another chapter for ya. Enjoy! I'll try to get another chapter up soon.**_

**Chapter Sixteen**

The door opened and Greg walked into the apartment over the bar and took a look around. It was bigger than he thought it would be, nice and open with a wood burning fireplace which would keep the place warm. It was only one bedroom, but the living area was large and the kitchen was a decent size as well. Overall it had to be close to 800 square feet; a good size for a bachelor pad, or if he wanted to be honest, babe lair.

"The place is yours if you want it, Mr..."

"Lazarus. But you can just call me Greg. And thanks."

"Lee tells me you're quite a musician."

Greg shrugged. "I guess she liked my playing."

"Come by tonight. The guys are playing live and they're gonna wanna meet ya."

"When do you collect the rent?"

"Last Saturday of the month. If you play with the band, I'll drop $300."

"That will help."

"Lee has...taken a shine to you. Don't piss her off or she'll make your life a living hell."

Bob folded his arms across his chest and tried to appear somewhat intimidating, but being a good five inches shorter, he failed miserably.

"I hardly know her. And I don't know what you're thinking but I didn't come to New Orleans looking to get laid." _Not yet, at least._

"Just so we understand each other. My daughter is not just some floozy who works in a bar."

"No, she's also a cop who carries a gun. Look, I realize you're still protective of her, but not every guy who sees her wants to nail her, even if she is easy on the eyes."

Bob's eyes narrowed. "Are you saying you're not attracted to her?"

"Like I just said, _I hardly know her_. It takes more than a pretty face to get my attention. And if you really want to know, _she_ gave _me_ her number. So she might not be the shy, reserved 'little girl' that you see her as."

"Now just a minute, buddy..."

Greg held up his hand to silence him. "I'm not done. My point is this, if she wants me to date her, she'll be the one to call the shots. It won't be me, or you, for that matter. And you can tell her I said that."

"Wow, you're a real ass, ya know that?"

"Yep. Thanks for letting me rent the place. You can go now. And you should talk to your daughter."

Bob muttered something as he walked down the steps and Greg closed the door and surveyed his surroundings. It was simple, yeah, but with a few personal touches he'd make it better.

XXX

The band was tuning their instruments when Greg came into the bar for a drink and a snack. "You Greg?" one of them said to him. "Bob said you're renting the place upstairs."

"Yeah, I'm him."

"I'm Buddy. This here is Jake on bass, and Matt on the drums. You play piano?"

"Yep."

"Lee says you're good."

"I can hold my own. Where is she anyway?" he asked, looking around.

"Not here. Probably at work. She's practically married to her job, ya know? Lost her partner a few months ago. It was really hard on her. He was a great guy."

"Wait, you mean work partner or..." he let that last bit of the sentence hang there.

"I think he was a bit of both," Jake spoke up.

Buddy nodded. "Anyway, he was killed when they surprised a thief coming out of a house and he blew her partner away. She's been looking for him ever since. Every robbery that comes on the dispatch she runs, no matter what she's doing. And no matter what, she always gets her man."

Greg nodded. That explained her hasty exit the other night. Then he smirked. "Always?"

The three men exchanged glances and nodded. "Always. So anyway, let's see what ya got, old man."

Greg scowled. "I'm not that old." He sat down at the Roland electric keyboard and waited for them to start playing, but they all stared at him expectantly. "What?"

"You gonna start us off?"

"Oh, you want _me_ to pick a song? Okay...uhh..." he wracked his brain trying to think of something and then began the opening riff to _Crazy Arms_. He was no Jerry Lee Lewis but the guys nodded and began to play along as he sang.

When the song ended, he sat there and waited for their reactions as they glanced at each other. "Wow. So uh...do you want the gig, then?"

And, as only Greg House could, he nodded. "Sounds good."

XXX

They were in the middle of their third song when Lee entered the bar still in full uniform, her hair done up in a French braid that fell down her back and she looked like a force to be reckoned with. She went to the bar, ordered a coke and then stayed to listen to another song before the band took a short break.

"You guys sound pretty good," she said to Greg as he approached with the other guys.

"Yeah we're alright," he said with a shrug as he took a beer from the bartender. "So is this a social call or are you still on duty?"

"Still working. I'll be off in a couple of hours. How's the apartment?"

"Good. Needs a few personal touches here and there. Is there an IKEA in this town?"

Lee shook her head. "Unfortunately no, not in this state, even. You'd have to go to Texas. But there are plenty of places around that would probably have what you're looking for." There was a slight hesitation, but she sighed and then said, "I could go with you one day. That is, if you wanted help. I like that kinda thing."

If Greg was shocked, he didn't show it, however he did arch his eyebrow. "I'll bet your place is a Martha Stewart nightmare."

"Not quite," she laughed and then sighed. "You know, we could make a day of it. I could take you shopping and then, if you're really brave, I could cook you dinner."

"You tend bar, have a closet fetish for interior decorating and you cook?" He stepped closer and leered at her, "where've you been all my life?"

"Here," she said simply and then waved to the guys before leaving the bar to get back in her cruiser.

Greg grinned inwardly as he finished off his beer and went back to the keyboard. They played another set and split the tips at the end of the night, which were quite impressive, each of them getting fifty dollars. "Bitchin!" he chuckled as he stuffed the bills into his wallet and went up to his apartment. It was quiet, even with the muffled sounds from the bar below.

As he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, he felt good. Lee was pursuing him, not the other way around and it felt kind of nice for a change. So far she'd given him her number, got him the apartment, a place in the band and offered to take him shopping, followed by a home cooked meal. Part of him wondered what her motives were, but the other part, the voice in his head that sounded an awful lot like Wilson, told him to just relax and go with it for once in his life. As his eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep, he chuckled as he heard Wilson singing _"Que Sera Sera..."_

XXX

As Greg scarfed down his breakfast at the cafe down the street, Lee came in and sat down in the booth across from him. "So, are ya ready?" she asked, looking all too bright eyed and bushy tailed for a week day.

"For what?" he mumbled as he read the morning paper and crunched bacon.

"Shopping, silly."

"Oh," he said, finally looking up at her. "Was that today?"

Her face fell. "Do you already have plans? If so, that's okay. I just thought...since I'm off and..." her voice trailed off as she picked at an imaginary piece of lint on her sleeve.

"Relax," he chuckled as he took a long sip of coffee, "you can take me shopping since you clearly have your heart set on it."

Mollified, she sat and watched him inhale his breakfast. "You know, you can stop and chew your food."

"S'good," was all he mumbled between bites until his plate was cleared and he sat back with the remainder of his coffee. "If I choked would you give me mouth to mouth?"

She reached over and lightly smacked the side of his head. "Brat."

"Hey! What are you so cheerful about? It's only Tuesday."

"This is my first day off in six days."

"Just one day?"

"No, I have tomorrow off, too."

"How big of them."

Lee just shrugged. "That's the job. And if something comes up, and I'm close by, I respond. It's no different than being a doctor and on call," she shrugged.

Greg was tempted to agree with her but he kept quiet as he sipped the rest of his coffee until the cup was empty and then signaled the server to bring his check. Once he slapped a twenty on the table he got up. "So where to first?"

XXX

Laden with numerous shopping bags, most of which were carried by Lee, they took the old elevator to Greg's apartment and stored them in the living room. Having only lived there less than a week so far, the place hadn't yet had time to accumulate the clutter that his old apartment did.

"Are you always this tidy?" she asked him on her way to use the bathroom.

"Wait," was all he said, which made her chuckle. When she returned a few minutes later, he was already taking things out of the bags while she collapsed on the couch.

"Well, I'm glad you had a productive and lucrative day, but I'm wiped out. How about I just cook us something here?"

Greg shrugged and gestured to the kitchen. "Be my guest."

Getting up, she looked in his fridge, and then his cupboards, frowning. "Wow. This is...I don't know. Do you have any food that doesn't look like it came from a gas station?"

He laughed as he went to the fridge and took out two beers, handing one to her after he took the caps off. "No. I don't cook much if I can avoid it. I prefer take-out. Less hassle."

"And more expensive," she pointed out.

"At least I don't have to cook it."

"Well," she said as she returned to the couch, "what kind of food do you like?"

"I'll eat anything. Except pickles."

Lee giggled. "Okay, that sounds easy enough. I'll go to the store. How about a traditional New Orleans creole dinner?"

Greg's mouth watered. "Can you cook as well as your old man?"

"I like to think so. He taught me, after all, and the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree."

"I'll be the judge of that. So get shopping, woman."

Lee arched her eyebrow. "Oh, you're coming with me, Mr. Smartypants."

"Why? You drag me all over town and now you want me to go with you to the grocery store? Cripple, here," he said, pointing to his cane.

"Whatever, Greg. You're going."

"Only if I get to drive."

She rolled her eyes. "You're like a little kid."

"You have no idea."

* * *

**Songs used in this chapter:**

_Talk to Your Daughter_ - Bulletboys (best version EVER)

_Que Sera Sera_ - Doris Day

_Crazy Arms_ - Hugh Laurie


	17. Chapter 17

_**A/N: I hope everyone had a good Christmas, or whatever holiday you celebrate. And now 2013 is coming. Fun! I figure I'll post this chapter now, because I might be too hungover to do it tomorrow or the next day...or the day after that. I have 3 days off work and I plan to be somewhat intoxicated for all of them. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Your feedback is much appreciated and desired :) So thank you :)**_

**Chapter Seventeen**

Greg kicked back in his new Eames' chair with a beer as Lee puttered around in his small kitchen preparing dinner for the two of them. She mentioned something about a crawfish etouffe and his mouth was watering over the smells that were flooding his apartment.

"Dinner's almost ready, Greg. Why don't you set the table with the new plates and cutlery you bought today?" she said with an amused look on her face. All he had before were paper plates and plastic utensils.

He grumbled but obeyed and by the time he was done, she was bringing heaping plates of food to the table and setting one down in front of him.

"This looks amazing," he said as he picked up his fork, stabbed at some fish and shoved it in his mouth. The appreciative groan made Lee smile and tuck into her own dinner. They ate in a companionable silence for awhile until Greg asked for seconds, which Lee happily served up and when he was full, he let out a very loud belch.

"Nice."

"Hey, in some cultures it's an insult if you don't burp at the end of a meal."

"I know that, it was very impressive. I'd give it... an eight out of ten."

"Oh come on!" he laughed. "That was definitely a ten."

"Nope. Not long enough."

"Pfft, whatever. So...what epicurean delight do you have for dessert?"

Lee cocked her eyebrow at him. "Oh, did you expect dessert too? It isn't enough that I cook you dinner..."

"Relax, Lee. I was kidding."

"Oh, well I guess you don't want dessert then. Fine with me."

He reached for her hand when she got up to gather the dishes and she looked down at it. "Let's not be too hasty," he chuckled, but kept a grip on her hand. It was cool and dry, and he liked the way his hand wrapped around it.

"There's ice cream with nuts," Lee said softly as she leveled him with the same intense stare that he was giving her.

It would've been so easy to tug on her hand and pull her down so he could kiss the breath out of her. That would certainly take a lot of kissing, he thought to himself as he chuckled and let go.

"Sounds good."

A few minutes later she returned with two large bowls full of ice cream, crushed cashew nuts and what looked like a healthy drizzle of chocolate sauce.

"So, why is there an elevator in this place when there are just two floors?" he asked her.

"The man who built the place was old and he couldn't tolerate steps very well so he had them put in an elevator."

"That's not a very exciting story."

"Nope."

"You could have made something up. You know...to make it more interesting."

Lee giggled between bites. "Like how? That he was mauled by a pack of wild dogs and lost a leg, therefore making it impossible to climb stairs?"

Greg laughed. "Yeah, something like that. True or not, at least it was interesting."

"What about your leg?"

His face darkened immediately and every muscle tensed. "What about it?"

"What happened to it?"

When he didn't answer right away, she shook her head. "I'm sorry. It's none of my business. You don't have to tell me."

"Muscle death. Part of my thigh is missing."

She nodded. "Well, that would explain the doctor prescribed Methadone in your cabinet."

Greg narrowed his eyes. "You were looking through my cabinets?"

"I was trying to locate some things and I came across it. It's no big deal, Greg. I just hope you're using it carefully. It can be deadly."

"I know the risks! I was a..." he stopped himself before he said too much and got up, taking his empty bowl to the kitchen. Lee brought her dish in as well and glanced at him.

"You were a what?"

"Nothing. Forget it."

"You don't have to hide anything from me, Greg," she said softly as she placed her hand on his forearm with the gentlest of touches.

"I'm not hiding!" he snapped and tugged his arm from her hand.

"Okay," she said silently as she dropped her spoon into the nearly empty bowl, "I should go. It's getting late."

Greg closed his eyes and cursed silently to herself as she put on her jacket and grabbed her purse. "Lee..."

"It's fine. If you want to tell me, you will. If you don't, you won't. It's as simple as that. I get it. G'night."

He watched her leave and let out a string of curses as he kicked the wall and stormed into the kitchen to put the rest of the dishes away, making more noise than was necessary. He felt like a total jerk, and he'd be shocked if she ever wanted to see him or even talk to him again. Who could blame her? He practically yelled at her to mind her own business. And while it wasn't any of her business, he could've handled it with more tact.

He took his night time dose, locked up, turned out the lights and went to bed, staring up at the ceiling. Tomorrow. He'd find her tomorrow and apologize. He owed her that at least. She was a cop. If she wanted to look closely enough she could find out everything about him and who he used to be.

But this time he didn't want to run away to another city. He was tired of running. He only hoped that if she did find out his secret, she'd keep it just that. A secret.

_Yeah_, he thought to himself as his eyes slipped closed. _And I'm the king of England._

"_Maybe you should get off the Methadone."  
_

"I"m not going back on the Vicodin. I need something stronger."

"_Normally I wouldn't suggest it but there's always Oxycontin. And then Oxycodone for breakthrough pain. You should talk to that guy who's prescribing for you. He could set you up. At least then you could go back to drinking Scotch and not having to worry about falling asleep and not breathing like those incidents a few years ago."_

"Don't remind me."

_"Just think about it, House. The Methadone will only work for so long. At least with Oxy you can titrate the dose until you get your pain levels to what they are now."_

"I'll think about it. Now leave me alone and let me sleep."

"_G'night, House."_

_XXX_

Lee tried not to let Greg's words bother her. After all, they hardly knew each other. She really had no right to ask him about his leg or his treatment of it. But what caught her attention was the near slip of the tongue that he was more intent on hiding than the Methadone in his cabinet. So when she got to her house, she poured herself a glass of wine and sat down at her computer and began to search. She didn't know what she'd find, but the internet was her playground and she knew how to find what she was looking for if she dug deep enough.

All she had to do was type in "Dr. Gregory" and _Dr. Gregory House_ _M.D_. was one of the first choices that came up so she took a stab and clicked on it, not expecting to find a wealth of information. After being up half the night doing research, she decided to go to bed and think things over.

She needed some sort of plan. She didn't know him well but she was pretty good at sizing people up and if she confronted him head on with what she knew, he'd be gone. So she'd have to come up with a strategy. From what she read about him, he was one of the most brilliant medical minds, if not the most brilliant. He'd probably know she'd looked him up by now so that's where she'd have to be careful.

XXX

As Christmas drew closer, Greg spent more time playing with the band than anything else. It was so easy since they constantly rehearsed in the bar during the day and then played at night on weekends. The whole thing about feeling accepted blew his mind.

Occasionally he'd see Lee driving her police cruiser up and down the main street in the French Quarter, and when she saw him she'd wave, but he wasn't buying it. As much as he liked her, he was afraid to get too close.

"_You're being paranoid, House,"_ Wilson said. _"She doesn't know."_

"She knows," House nodded as he toasted a bagel.

"_How do you know?"  
_

"Because she's a cop, and I almost let it slip. But like all cops, she probably took that bone and ran with it."

"_Gee, sounds like someone I know. Don't you think if she knew that you'd be in the slammer?"_

"She's biding her time. Just waiting for the right moment to strike. So I'm not going to give her a reason to, and I'm going to stay as far away as I possibly can."

_"That's the most ridiculous crap I've ever heard! You like her. She likes you. Why don't you go traditional and just ask her out?"  
_

"And then what?"

"_I don't know. But I'm willing to bet she'd say yes."_

"Of course she would, and so begins the interrogation."

House could hear Wilson sigh, and could imagine him with his hand on the back of his neck as he shook his head in wonder. _"Whatever. You're going to end up alone, House."_

"Good. Now why don't you start by leaving me alone! Go haunt someone else."

A knock on his door caused him to freeze and he kept quiet for a second, hoping whoever it was would go away.

But no luck. There was another knock. "Greg? It's me," Lee's voice called out. "Can I come in?"

With a defeated sigh, he got up and threw open the door. Lee stood there in full uniform.

"Is this an official visit? If so, you're too late. I flushed everything."

She steeled herself from his menacing glare. "I didn't mean to disturb you if you have company," she said as she looked past him into the apartment but saw nobody. Greg narrowed the door opening. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought I heard you talking to someone."

"I was on the phone," he quickly lied.

"I see. Well I won't keep you, I just wanted to ask what your plans are for Christmas."

"I don't have any."

"Oh," she said, a little put off by his short answers. "Well, Dad and I are cooking up turkey dinner. If you're not doing anything, you're more than welcome to come by."

That got his attention, and even put a slight smile on his face. "I could be tempted."

"Good. And now that I have your attention, would you like to come over on Christmas Eve for a drink at my place?"

"Gonna spike the eggnog and get me drunk?"

Lee smiled. "Maybe. Got a problem with that?"

"Depends on what you plan to do with me once you've gotten me drunk."

"I guess we'll have to wait and see."

"Will dinner be at your place too?"

"No, dinner will be at my Dad's house. The guys will be there. As well as my new partner," she sighed

House picked up on that list bit. "Don't like him?"

She shrugged. "Sometimes I wonder if he didn't join the force just to meet women. We haven't worked together long enough to make me want to take a bullet for him."

"I don't think anyone's worth taking a bullet for. But that's just me."

"Sometimes I'm inclined to agree with you. Anyway, I have to get going. If you decide to come over, anytime after seven is fine." She started to turn away but then stopped and looked at him over her shoulder. "Unless of course you'd like to have dinner, too."

"Like a date?"

She nodded. "You could call it that. Or you could call it a relaxing night in. And if you drink too much eggnog I have a spare room you can crash in."

"Wouldn't wanna be busted for a DUI," he chuckled. "Although being busted by you might be fun."

Her walkie-talkie started babbling and she frowned, grabbing the mouth piece and issued a few "cop code" words into it before fastening the mouthpiece back onto her shoulder. "Sorry about that. I have to go. Those Christmas vandals aren't going to catch themselves."

"Be careful," he said as he watched her step into the elevator and pull the wooden door closed with a smirk.

He closed the door behind him and sighed.

"_Well now you have plans for Christmas. Beats the hell outta eating Chinese with a dead man,"_ Wilson chuckled.

"I liked our tradition," Greg said softly as he went to the kitchen for a beer. "It was one of the only things I actually looked forward to on Christmas."

"_Well now you can look forward to your hot date with Lee. Sounds like she has ideas of her own for the two of you."_

"Gee, I can't wait."


	18. Chapter 18

_**A/N: HAPPY BELATED NEW YEAR :)**_

_**I meant to get this chapter posted days ago, but real life got crazy, I got addicted to Polyvore and...well...I wanted to get a few chapters ahead so I wouldn't keep you guys waiting too much longer. My muse still has some ideas for our handsome, blue-eyed doctor. I can't stop yet.**_

**Chapter Eighteen**

Greg stood outside the door of Lee's apartment and hesitated. Was he walking into the lion's den? Was there a S.W.A.T. team waiting to jump him as soon as he entered, ready to haul him off to prison again? His heart began to race at the very idea and as he turned around to leave, the door opened and Lee stood there looking fresh-faced and happy.

"Where ya goin?"

"I...uh..."

"Come on in," she said and stepped aside as she opened the door wider.

Gripping his cane, which he didn't usually use unless he was having an unusually difficult pain day, he sighed and entered the apartment, glancing around for anything suspicious. But there was nothing of the kind, and he relaxed a little bit.

She had a large tree in the corner of the room, soft holiday music playing and the lights were down low to show off the twinkling ones on the tree.

"Want a drink?"

"Sure."

"What about the..."

"I'm taking something else for my pain. It's not as good, but it's not as dangerous, either. You mentioned eggnog the other day," he added, hoping to change the subject.

"I have some. I just thought... I'll get it. Please, have a seat. I'll bring it out."

She brought out a large punchbowl with a matching ladle and then two cups. After she served him and then herself, she clinked her glass against his. "Down the hatch."

Greg chuckled as he took a sip of the eggnog and sighed with contentment. It was amazing. "Does anyone say that anymore?"

"I do," she shrugged.

After a few minutes of silence, she cleared her throat and moved a little closer to Greg. "I missed you."

He glanced over at her, and took the opportunity to stretch his arm across the back of the couch which was his own invitation that she could move even closer. "Did you?"

"I would've called you but I didn't have your number."

"I'm kinda selective about who I give my number to."

She nodded. "I understand."

"But," he added, "you being a cop I can probably trust you not to give it out. Right?" he looked to her for some kind of assurance.

She leveled him with a similar look. "Who would I give it to, Greg?"

He shrugged and took another sip of the eggnog, enjoying its sweetness. "This is really good."

"Glad you like it." There was silence for a few minutes before she rested her head against his shoulder. "Are you in trouble, Greg?"

"No. Well, not directly."

"Not directly. What does that mean?"

He sighed. "It's classified."

She glanced up at him, her dark chestnut eyes seeking answers. He wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell her everything. But he was still worried.

"Greg," she whispered and placed her hand over his. "Whatever it is, you can tell me. I'm not the type to blab people's secrets. I'll take things to the grave."

He closed his eyes as she drew invisible patterns on his forearm. "I like you Greg. A lot. You're handsome and...mysterious. So different from the guys I've gone out with. It's quite refreshing actually. And I'm not trying to get you to tell me everything. I just want you to trust me. Whatever it is, it'll be okay."

"I want to believe you," he whispered.

"You can. Seriously, Greg. Who am I going to tell your secrets to? What would I have to gain?"

"Oh I dunno, seeing me rot in prison for starters."

"Did you kill someone? Are you on the lam?"

"Not exactly."

"Are we going to play twenty questions on this?" she giggled. "I can get into that."

"I think you know enough already. What I want to know is what you plan to do with what you know."

It was all becoming clear to her now and she sat up and faced him. "Absolutely nothing."

He looked at her with utter disbelief. "And you expect me to believe that?"

"Have I given any reason why you shouldn't trust me?"

"Everybody lies."

"Not everybody."

"Why don't you start by telling me what you do know?"

She shrugged. "Not a lot. I know who you used to be, but not why you've taken on this alternate identity. What are you running from?"

"If it got out...I'd go back to prison, with fraud and vandalism being at the top of the list of charges."

"Stupid charges if you ask me. There's no proof it was you who flushed those tickets and caused the damage. Your fingerprints on them mean nothing other than that you had your hands on them."

He looked at her with surprise and she just shrugged. "It's stupid and not worth another six months of prison. But that's beside the point. What I want to know is why you felt you had to fake your own death? I mean, you spent a year in there already. What was another six months?"

"You didn't read about it in your Google search?"

"There wasn't much information. You were gone and Dr. Wilson seemed to vanish off the face of the earth until his death awhile ago." She reached up and placed her hand on his stubbled cheek. "I know what it's like to lose a best friend and a colleague."

"Do you, now?" he asks as he looks down at her, finding himself getting lost in those dark eyes. They were so dark that he couldn't even see her pupils.

"Yes. My partner, Danny, was like...the other half of me. We'd worked together for a few years and we were so close we could finish each others sentences. That's what happens when you work closely with someone day in and day out I guess."

He nods. "Were you two...partners outside of work?"

"We were talking about it. It seemed like a good idea... but then he was killed," she said the last couple of words so softly that he almost didn't hear them. A single tear rolled down her cheek and he wiped it away with his thumb as they continued to stare into each others eyes.

Kissing her seemed like the logical next step to him, so he bent his head and softly brushed his lips against hers in what he hoped was non-invasive and sweet. To be honest, he didn't come over that night to sleep with her. That was the furthest thing from his mind.

"I... this wasn't what I had in mind when I accepted your invitation to come over," he said as he gently kissed away another tear that slid down her face.

"It wasn't what I had in mind either," she whispered with a half chuckle. "I honestly didn't even think you'd show up. But I'm glad you did."

"Me too," he whispered before kissing her again with the same gentleness he showed her before and when his arm slipped around her shoulders, her hand reached for his and their fingers interlaced. It felt good, and he realized for the first time that he was actually quite content just to hold her like that and kiss on the couch like a couple of teenagers.

"It's a shame though. That you can't practice medicine anymore."

"Maybe, but it doesn't stop me from trolling the medical forums and giving my expert opinion. An ex fellow of mine had the right idea." And then he proceeded to tell about Kutner and his website in Greg's name which backfired once he discovered what the young doctor was up to, thanks to Chase and Cameron.

Lee smirked and then got up. "More eggnog?"

Greg raised his glass to her. "Absolutely."

She returned with two more mugs and a plate of cookies. "Let me guess, you made these," he said as he reached for two shortbread cookies.

"Of course. I love baking at Christmas time."

"Uh-huh. Well I'm not taking back that Martha Stewart remark I made."

"I wouldn't expect you to. But Martha Stewart is a goody-goody who went to PRISON."

Greg laughed and shoved a cookie in his mouth all at once. "Mmm..shortbread..."

"Do you like it?"

"It's awesome. Better than that store bought garbage."

"I'm glad you approve," she chuckled as she took a cookie for herself and munched on it. "Meh, I coulda kneaded it a bit more."

"Okay enough for company," Greg mumbled between bites and reached for another. Before long, the cookies were all eaten and Lee was staring at him.

"Do you have a tapeworm or something?" she laughed.

"I'll show you a tapeworm, baby doll." And then he jokingly proceeded to unbuckle his belt but she stopped him.

"No, it's quite alright, Greg," she laughed. "Are you always this way with women you hardly know?"

"No, I paid them to let me behave how I like," he said as he began to kiss behind her ear.

She looked like she didn't believe him, and he didn't really care if she did or not. As far as he was concerned, hiring hookers was part of his past. He'd been there, done that and he had no interest in doing it again. Especially not when he now had Lee.

"Do you want me to pick you up for dinner tomorrow?" she asked, trying to change the subject, but his lips on her neck were making it hard to think about anything else. His stubble tickled her skin and she was sure she was going to have whisker burn later. The idea made her smile a little.

"I was planning to just take my cycle." Then he stopped nibbling her neck to look at her. She had a far-away look in her eyes and he waved his hand in front of her face. "Earth to Lee."

She blinked and gave her head a shake. "Huh? Oh, sorry. I was in dreamland for a sec. What did you just say?"

"I said I was planning on taking my bike. I could pick you up."

"That might actually be a good idea."

She still looked pensive and he sighed. "What's going on?"

"What?"

"Something's bugging you. What?"

She stood up and begun wringing her hands, which he assumed was a nervous trait because of the way she began pacing the room. "My partner...I told you he's going to be there at dinner tomorrow. He's hit on me a few times and I told him to get bent, as politely as possible of course."

"Of course."

"Well he's a rookie cop, thinks he can nail any woman just cuz he wears a uniform, thinks he's God's gift and can't get his head around the fact that I'm simply not interested. The gossip queens at work let on that I was sort of becoming involved with my former partner so I guess he figures I'd go for him too. But he's so not my type and I don't know how to get him off my back."

"So you want me to help?" he asked as he took another sip of eggnog. "It might be fun."

She looked surprised. "You're serious? You'd be willing to do that?"

He got up and limped over to her. "That depends if you think you and I have potential."

"Do you?"

He shrugged. "It's too early to tell but it's looking good so far," he grinned as he slid his hand down her arm. "Gotta stake my claim. Although I have to tell ya, I'm not big on PDA's."

She nodded and bit her lower lip. "Neither am I. But in this case, I'm willing to make an exception. He'll take one look at you and he won't see you as any kind of threat and that really pisses me off."

Greg grinned as he pulled her a little closer and wrapped his arms around her waist. "That's what we want. His defenses will be down. I'll just have to give him a run for his money, won't I?"

She smiled up at him and placed her hands on his chest. "I think you'll have too much fun with that, and I'll have too much fun watching you do it. Could be dangerous."

"Does that turn you on?" he asked as he began to nibble her neck again. She threw her head back to give him more access.

"Mhm...Yes. Oh, that's nice..."

"You smell good," he whispered as he kissed a spot behind her ear that made her whole body shiver.

The noise from the kitchen stopped her cold when she listened intently. It sounded like a CB radio.

"What is that?" he asked as she stepped out of his embrace.

"My scanner."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Of course you have one of those."

She quickly walked to the kitchen to listen closely and he followed her. She attempted to pick up the cordless phone but he stopped her. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

"What are _you_ doing?"

"I was going to call headquarters and..."

He kept his hand over hers. "You're off tonight. Leave it be."

"But that might be the guy who..."

"_You're off tonight_," he repeated and managed to pull her back into the living room. "Sounds like someone else has it covered."

"Yeah but if they let him go..."

"Lee," he said softly as he tipped her chin up to meet his eyes. "You won't bring him back by arresting the guy who killed him."

Her lower lip quivered and the tears started all over again. "I can't stop thinking about what I could've done differently," she sobbed and buried her face in his shoulder.

"Well you're going to have to because what's done is done. There's no going back. All you can do is move forward."

They stood in the middle of her living room like that for a long time it seemed, until his leg started to let him know it was time to sit down. So he led her to the couch but she didn't move from him.

"It's fucking unfair!" she shuddered as she tried to compose herself. Once she did, she sniffed a few more times. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be bothering you with this."

"I can go if you want me to..." he said as he began to move from her. But her arms went around his waist and squeezed him like a vice.

"It's still early," she whispered. "Can't we just sit here for awhile?"

He nodded and rested his chin on the top of her head, inhaling the sweet scent of her shampoo which smelled of pears and closed his eyes. He could get used to that scent. After a couple of minutes her hand began tracing invisible patterns on his chest.

"It's...been a long time since I've done this."

"Sat on a couch?" he asked, earning a playful slap on his chest from Lee.

"No, smart ass. Danny and I never just...cuddled on the couch like this. We never got that far. I'm a hopeless romantic and he wasn't anything close to it."

"Then why were you two going to..."

"Because it felt right. Because we were both tired of being lonely and because we liked each other."

"But that isn't enough."

"How do you know?"

Greg sighed and scratched his forehead with his thumb as he tried to come up with a reason.

"Well?" she asked.

"You can't be with someone you work so closely with. It never works out. Either the work relationship suffers or the personal one does. You can't have both."

"Speaking from experience, Dr. House?"

He ignored her using his real name for the time being and nodded. "It's just my two cents."

Lee sighed and Greg took that as his cue to leave. "I should go. I think tomorrow night is going to be interesting. I'm going to need my strength."

She smirked and got up, handing him his jacket. "So you'll pick me up tomorrow?"

"Yeah. What time?"

"Four is good. I think everyone else will be arriving around that time. We'll be eating at five-thirty or six."

Once he had his jacket on, there was an awkward silence between them. "I'm glad you came over tonight, Greg. It was nice."

"Yeah. Which means tomorrow night will be a trip and a half."

Lee slid her hands up his chest, felt the cool leather of his jacket against her fingers, and linked them around his neck to pull him down for a kiss. It was a soft, gentle kiss at first. Lips brushing softly against lips. But that wasn't enough and soon their tongues were sliding against each other and their breathing became heavier until Greg ended it by stepping back. "Let's save some of that for tomorrow," he said, his voice suddenly huskier than it had been moments ago.

"Would it sound bad if I said I was looking forward to it?"

"Wouldn't want you to get into trouble with the boss man."

"I love trouble," she said with a wicked grin. "Besides, best case scenario? I end up with another partner."

"If she's female, I can get down with that," he leered with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows. Lee opened the door and gave him a playful shove into the hallway. "G'night, Greg."

He smiled at her. The kind of smile that usually brought most women to their knees and he could hear her breath hitch just a little as he turned away.

_Mission accomplished._

_**Reviews are love, people! :) I do my best to respond to all feedback whenever possible. Love ya!**  
_


	19. Chapter 19

_**A/N: Since you've all been such good reviewers, here's another chapter :)**_

**Chapter Nineteen**

Greg looked out at the rain and decided against taking the bike, opting for a cab instead. Lee buzzed him in, letting him know the door was open. "I'll be right with you," she called out when she heard him enter. "I just need to finish up. Have a seat."

"Don't be too long. Taxi's waiting."

"I thought we were taking your bike," she called out from the bedroom..

"Nah, it's raining. Cab is easier."

Lee emerged from the bedroom wearing a red and white Christmas sweater which made him chuckle until he saw the tight black leather pants and ankle boots.

"Wow."

She smiled as she handed him a present. "I thought maybe we'd do this first."

"I'd like to do _this_ first," he said as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her fully, nibbling her bottom lip as his hands slid down past her waist to rest on her leather clad behind. She moaned a little as he squeezed, feeling the soft leather under his finger tips. "Or we could skip dinner and just stay here."

"Greg," she groaned as her hands slid up and gripped the lapels of his coat. "Daddy won't like it if we're late."

"We don't have to be that late," he grinned wickedly as he slipped his hands underneath her red sweater and felt her lacy bra beneath. "Trying to win the ugly Christmas sweater contest?"

"I like this sweater!" she laughed as she stepped out of his embrace and handed him the present once more. "Open."

He sighed but took the present and ripped off the paper without ceremony to discover a compilation CD with various blues artists from New Orleans. He turned it over and saw hits by his favorite artists. "Wow. This is...awesome." He smiled down at her and pulled her into his arms again as he nuzzled her neck. "Thanks."

"You really like it? You're not just saying that?"

"I don't say things just to be nice," he whispered in her ear as his hands found their way back to her ass. "I really like these pants."

"I can tell."

"Your outfit is missing something, though," he said as he reached into his coat pocket and produced a wrapped box of his own. "This should help."

Lee looked surprised as she took the box from him and carefully untied the bow that was wrapped around it. When she took the top off, she saw a beautiful scarf with a galaxy pattern on it. "Wow! This is amazing!" She said as she took it out and unraveled it. "How did you know I liked galaxy patterns?"

"I didn't," he chuckled, "but it seemed to suit you."

She wrapped it around the collar of her jacket and touched the delicate fabric before glancing up at him. "I love it. Thank you," she said as she leaned up and placed a quick kiss on his lips, which he tried to deepen but she stepped back. "Come on, let's go."

X X X

Greg and Lee were offered a drink as soon as he walked through the door of Bob Lafayette's house outside of town. It was a modest house, probably at least fifty years old but in great shape, clearly taken care of.

"Merry Christmas, Greg," Bob smiled as he handed him the glass of Scotch he asked for and gave him a stiff pat on the back. "Glad you decided to join us."

"I never turn down a home cooked turkey dinner. Unless it's my Aunt Sara's."

Bob laughed and gestured to the couch where a couple of the band members sat nursing their drinks. They greeted Greg when he came into the room. The whole scene was odd to him, but not altogether uncomfortable. Perhaps he really was mellowing out. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but the scene made him think of something from The Waltons.

He grabbed a handful of nuts from the dish on the coffee table and took a seat on the couch near the guys while Lee helped Bob in the kitchen with the finishing touches.

Twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang and Lee emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a tea towel. She threw a shy smile in Greg's direction before opening the door and greeting the final guest.

Lt. Jon Brewster was younger than Greg by a good ten years, short and slim with thick strawberry blonde hair. He handed a dinky bouquet of flowers to Lee that looked like he ripped them off some poor unsuspecting neighbor's garden and kissed her on the cheek. "Merry Christmas, Brewster," Lee said with a forced smile, and Greg felt her disdain for the man from clear across the room.

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Jon, _Lee_," he said with the most charming smile he could muster. Lee resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It was nothing like the smile Greg had flashed her the night before. That smile made her go to bed and fall asleep with a smile on her face until morning. Jon frowned and cocked his head to one side. "What's that?"

"What's what?"

"You've got something on your neck," he said and reached out to touch it but Lee covered it with her hand as she laughed. She'd seen the hickey Greg had given her when she got up that morning and she knew that was all part of his plan.

"It's nothing. Can I get you a drink?"

"It looks like...a hickey..."

"It _is_ a hickey," Greg called out, finally drawing attention to himself. He grabbed his cane and got to his feet.

"How do you know?" Jon asked, his back straightening, trying to appear to look taller but he was no match for Greg.

"Because _I_ put it there."

Buddy nearly choked on his drink as he stifled a laugh, as did the other two guys, while Lee stood there, seemingly mortified. But when Greg glanced at her, she winked.

"Jon? A drink for ya?" she repeated as the two men stared each other down. As Lee predicted, Jon looked him up and down, sneered at the cane and Greg's somewhat disheveled appearance and snorted.

"Yeah right. Dream on, pal." And then turned to Lee. "I'd love a glass of wine. White if you have it."

"White wine is for sissies," Greg muttered as he sat back down and tossed back the remainder of his scotch. "But you're too young to appreciate a good Scotch so I'll let that one slide."

Lee returned with Jon's wine and then sat down next to Greg on the loveseat, who immediately wrapped his arm across her shoulders. The guys in the band exchanged glances and nods of approval while Jon stared at her in wonder.

"So, what do you do for a living...I'm sorry, Lee didn't introduce us."

"Oh, my bad," Lee giggled nervously. "Jon Brewster, this is Greg Lazarus. He lives above the bar and plays keyboards with the band."

"Ah. One of those."

Greg sat a little straighter. "One of _those_?"

"Yeah. You know," Jon said, waving his hand in dismissal as if they were supposed to know what he was talking about.

Greg looked between the other guys in the band who were just as curious, if not annoyed. "Obviously we don't. Why don't you enlighten us?" he said, challenging the younger man just as Bob swept in with a platter of hors d'oeuvres.

"Nothing special, just some nibbles. Dinner is in forty-five minutes," he said as he set the plate on the coffee table and the previous show-down was forgotten as they feasted on mini sausage rolls, and various cheeses.

"So, you were about to enlighten us as to what your comment meant," Greg said as he wrapped his arm around Lee again as he shoved a sausage roll into his mouth.

Lee placed her hand on his good thigh and gave it a squeeze as if to tell him to "drop it."

"A struggling musician, no? You can't really make a living from it," Jon said with a shrug.

"Not that it's any of your business, but money isn't an issue."

"Really?" Jon's voice was dripping with sarcasm as he took in Greg's wrinkled shirt, T-shirt underneath and faded jeans.

"Jon. Drop it."

They were called to the dinner table and Greg made sure he was seated next to Lee, who sat at the other end of the table across from her father. Jon took the liberty of sitting on the other side of her and she sighed in resignation. As flattering as it was, it was annoying, since one of the men competing for her attention was a complete moron that she had no interest in. She made a mental note to go to the chief Monday morning and request another partner.

She jumped a little when she felt a hand on her knee, and looked down to see it was Greg's. She gave him a shy smile and let him keep it there. Halfway through dinner, she felt a foot on her calf, sliding upwards.

It couldn't have been Greg's however and she glanced down quickly and up at Jon who seemed to be oblivious as he stuffed his face. But it was definitely his foot and she was at a loss as to what to do.

"Excuse yourself, and go to the bathroom. I'll be there in five," Greg discretely whispered as he kissed her cheek and shot Jon a defiant glare.

When she was gone, he took a few more bites of his dinner before Jon casually got up and excused himself as well. Knowing full well where he was headed, Greg felt almost helpless. He glanced at Bob who jerked his head in Jon's direction as if to say: "Get going."

He needed no further incentive and quickly got up from the table and headed down the hall. As he approached, he heard two voices. One was angry, the other was pleading.

"For Chrissakes, he's a cripple!" Jon hissed. "You can't seriously want that old jerk."

"Uh, yeah I can. And he's not a cripple. Just because he has a cane doesn't make him any less of a man."

"He's old enough to be your daddy!"

"Hardly. I'm forty-one, Jon. He's fifty-three. My father, on the other hand, is nearing seventy and I'm not having this discussion with you. Just forget it. You have no chance with me. You never did. And on Monday I'm going to the chief. You can chase after some other skirt with a gun."

Jon's jaw dropped. "You can't do that!"

"Just you watch me. I've been with the force for fifteen years. You're just a rookie who thinks he can charm his way into any woman's bed just because he's a cop with a nice smile. Well sorry but I'm not interested in yours."

"What does that old guy have that I don't?"

Lee laughed out loud. _Was this kid for real?_ "A brilliant mind for one. A gift for music that some only dream about and he's the most handsome man I've ever laid eyes on. Is that enough for you?"

Greg decided now was the time to make his presence known and limped towards them. "Are you having a party in here? Cuz I gotta take a leak."

"Charming, Greg," Lee giggled as he went into the bathroom and closed the door, then she turned back to Jon. "Go back to dinner. I'll be there in a minute."

Once he was gone, Greg emerged from the bathroom and looked around. "Did he leave?"

"No, he's finishing his dinner. It would've been bad manners to kick him out. Speaking of bad manners, how much of that did you hear?"

He pulled her into the bathroom, shut the door and then pressed her against it.

"All of it, baby." His lips crashed down on hers with a passion that surprised both of them and he moaned softly into the kiss. Her lips and tongue were warm and wet as she kissed him back with equal enthusiasm and ran her hands through his grey hair.

When they came up for air, she rested her cheek against his. "Good. Because I meant every word."

"I don't wanna finish dinner. Why don't we disappear to the nearest bedroom and..."

Lee rolled her eyes and giggled. "Oh like that wouldn't be suspicious. Besides, I'd feel weird doing it under my father's roof."

"Isn't that part of the fun?" he murmured into her neck as he kissed her throat. "Getting caught?"

"Trust me, you do _not_ want my father to catch us making out," she said as she placed her hands on his chest and pushed him back. "Come on, let's go. I'm hungry. With any luck, Jon will leave shortly after."

"I hope he doesn't. I want to torture him some more first."

"You're so bad."

Greg opened the bathroom door to let them out but gave her ass a playful slap as she walked by. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

They returned to the table where everyone was still eating and resumed like nothing ever happened, which Lee was grateful for.

After dinner, they retreated to the living room for dessert and brandy. Buddy passed around some cigars and suggested a game of poker, which Greg was all in for, as was Jon.

"Poker's a man's game, kid. Unless you have money to lose, I suggest you sit back and let the adults play."

"I know how to play," Jon said as he took a seat at the table and reached for his wallet.

"Buy-in's $100."

"No problem."

Jon and the rest of the guys tossed their money into the middle of the table and Greg started handing out chips.

"Lee, aren't you playing?" Jon asked her.

She shook her head as she swirled her brandy in the glass. "No, poker's not my thing. Just make sure you leave Greg with enough money to buy me dinner."

"Or breakfast," Greg leered at her, earning a smirk from Lee who blushed and looked away.

At the end of the night, the party broke up after Greg cleaned them all out and then took Lee home.

When he pulled up to her building, she got out of the cab and he walked her to the front door. There was a bit of silence between them as she seemed to be thinking very hard. Greg leaned over and whispered, conspiratorially, "psst, I think this is the part where you invite me in for a nightcap."

She shook her head. "I don't wear them."

He laughed and shook his head. "Cute."

She smiled but still didn't move. "What's wrong?" he asked, noticing that she now was wringing her hands.

"Nothing. It's just...I...I'm not..."

"Look, it was just a suggestion. Maybe next time. What're you doing on New Year's Eve?"

"Other than tending bar while you guys play? Not a hell of a lot. I am going to sing a song though."

He looked at her. "You can sing?"

"I've been known to carry a tune, yes," she giggled.

"This I gotta see," he chuckled and tugged on her hand to pull her closer. She resisted a little but eventually moved closer. "Something tells me that you think I'm some sort of sex crazed maniac."

She smiled only slightly. "Maybe not the maniac part."

"Lee," he said as he took both her hands, "we like each other, don't we?"

"I think that's safe to say, yes," she nodded, enjoying the feel of his warm hands as they held hers, his thumb brushing across her knuckles.

"So what's wrong?"

"I...it's been a long time since I..." she sighed and looked at the ground, pretending to be genuinely interested in the ant that crawled by.

Greg nodded. "It's not a race to see how long it can take for me to get you into bed. I'm in no hurry." He tipped her chin up so he was looking into her eyes. Those dark eyes that both hypnotized and amazed him. "You really are beautiful, Lee. Anyone ever tell you that?"

She shook her head. "Cute, maybe, but never beautiful."

He leaned closer until their lips were a mere centimeters apart and then they met in the middle, kissing slowly and leisurely until a chilly wind came up and made Lee shiver.

"I guess you should go in," he said as he stepped back. "I'll see you Friday night when the band plays, right?"

"Yep. I'll be behind the bar as always," she nodded.

"Until then," he whispered and kissed her one more time before getting into the cab. She stood on the curb and watched it drive away before letting herself into her apartment.

She was tired, but not enough to sleep, and if she did go to bed, she knew she'd just lie there and think about Greg, so she went online for a couple of hours and then called it a night, already looking forward to Friday, which was three long days away.

* * *

I'm addicted to Polyvore so if you'd like to see the outfits I've created for House and Lee, you can see them here house_lees_christmas_outfit/ set?id= 68030 285

Just take all the spaces out. I've also made one for New Year's Eve. Feel free to add me on there if you're also an addict like me :)


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Hmm...not many comments on the last chapter. Perhaps this one will get your attention :P**

**Chapter Twenty**

December 31, 2012

"Hey Lee!" the guys called to her as she entered the bar, dressed in her cop uniform, long hair done up in its usual French braid. Her eyes scanned the place, but she didn't see Greg and she frowned.

"Relax," Buddy chuckled. "Loverboy is just upstairs getting changed for the party."

She nodded. "I need to do the same. Tell him I'll be back in an hour."

"Will do, chickie."

She went home, took a long, hot shower and shaved her legs. She normally didn't make such an effort, but for some reason, she knew Greg would more than appreciate it. After the extensive searching she'd done over the last few days on Greg, she learned many things. Most of which were nothing like the man she was getting to know. The common opinion seemed to color him as a lonely, misanthropic asshole who lived to solve the proverbial puzzle. He was known all over the world as a brilliant mind in the medical field and even though he had been sought after by many to heal them, he was only interested in the most challenging and difficult cases.

So what was he doing with her? There was nothing interesting or challenging about Lee. She was just a cop who tended bar in her father's restaurant on some nights. It wasn't exactly exciting. But apparently he saw something in her that kept him interested. She wondered if once he'd had her, he'd still be interested. That was her biggest fear.

She had been suffering a very long dry spell and was afraid she wouldn't live up to whatever fantasies or expectations he might have of her. After all, he was seemingly a man of the world, well-read and well-traveled, having been the son of a Marine. She was just plain ol' Lee who might as well have been a virgin if she didn't count a pathetic tumble in the backseat of her high school boyfriend's Mustang. That was her one and only sexual experience and it was hardly memorable, having lasted all of thirty seconds and left her nothing but sore and frustrated. Ever since, she had no desire to repeat the experience. Until Danny. And with him, it would've been more like friends with benefits than a real relationship. She knew that now. They had been good friends and partners for too long for it to be much else.

And then Greg came along and awoke something in her that she never thought she'd feel again. Only with him it was much more powerful and she was afraid of it.

She went into the bedroom and selected a red dress and matching heels. After applying some light make-up, she gave herself one last glance in the mirror, grabbed her overnight bag, just in case she was too drunk to drive home, and left.

XXX

The restaurant was busy but Greg could spot Lee in the crowd instantly. The red dress and the red lipstick she wore made her stand out above the rest and when she got closer, he took a look at her red high heeled pumps. She was very well put together and his heart began beating so fast it was whooshing in his ears.

"Happy New Year, Greg," she said, looking shy as she gave him a light hug and a quick, perfumed peck on the cheek.

"You...you look devastating this evening," he said as he kept holding her hands. "Good enough to eat, I might add."

He noticed her cheeks glow as red as her dress and he laughed as he grabbed a flute of champagne off the tray of a passing server. "Here, drink this up. It'll relax you."

"That sounds ominous," she giggled as she took the flute and downed the champagne in a couple of gulps before reaching for another. "I think I heard that line used in a murder novel once or twice."

"Oh probably. So what are you going to sing for us tonight?"

"Just one song, near midnight. It's tradition."

"What's the song?"

"What are you doing New Year's Eve."

"Very nice. I'll be looking forward to it. Who do you sing like?"

Lee shrugged. "I don't really know. I sing it in the style of Ella Fitzgerald but I wouldn't go so far as to say I sound like her."

"Cool." He sipped the Scotch he was drinking when Buddy called him back to the stage. "Gotta get back to work. Make room on your dance card for me," he laughed as he limped away.

They played a set, and then took a break. Greg approached Lee and tapped her on the shoulder, making her jump.

"Hmm, a little nervous are we? You don't get stage fright do you?"

"No, not at all. But I only sing once a year so yeah, I am nervous. What of it?" she asked as she finished off her drink and mixed a martini for someone else.

"You better slow down with that stuff. I don't relish holding your hair back as you spend the night praying to the almighty porcelain God."

"Oh please!" she laughed as she poured another, "I've only had a few."

"Yeah, a few tee many martoonies. I've been watching you the entire time."

She looked downright pissed. "So what, you're my keeper now?"

Greg rolled his eyes and groaned. "Lee, come on. Don't talk stupid. I just don't want you to get sick. Excuse me for caring!"

Their raised voices caused the people around them to stop and look, and Greg was well aware of it. "I'm having a good time. Just let me enjoy it."

"Fine. Look, you have five minutes before show time." He signaled to the other bartender to bring her a shot of espresso. "You're going to thank me for this, trust me."

"Is that doctors orders?" she snapped as she took the espresso and drank it in one shot. "Holy crap! What was that?"

"Espresso. Now get your sweet ass up there and sing to me."

Lee's eyes widened. "You think I'm going to sing just to you? Dream on!" She brushed past him, stumbled up the steps to the stage and took the microphone from Buddy. The guys began to play once Greg took his place at the keyboard and he was stunned when she began to sing. She was nothing like Ella Fitzgerald. In fact, she had a lot of similarities to Karen Carpenter. Her voice was smooth and elegant and she literally nailed the song, earning a generous round of applause from the crowd. Greg was too stunned to say anything. He wasn't sure what he was feeling at the moment, but whatever it was, it was incredible. He also wondered why she didn't sing more often. He was definitely going to have a talk with her about that.

"Ten minutes till midnight!" Bob shouted as he began pouring the champagne into plastic flutes. "Am I allowed to drink again, Doctor?" Lee giggled.

"It's almost midnight. Can't have you without champagne."

She wrapped her arms around his neck as they swayed to the music playing from the jukebox. It was _Always _by Paul McCartney, one of her favorite artists.

"You sounded amazing, by the way," he said as he looked down at her. "You should sing more often."

"No time."

"You should make the time."

She shrugged. "It's just something I do once in awhile. I'm afraid that if I did it all the time, I would get sick of it and not like it anymore."

"Too bad. A talent like that should be shared."

"Mhm," she whispered as she gently touched his scruffy cheek. "I'm glad you're growing back the scruff. It looks good on you."

Greg grinned. "I was about to say the same about that dress. It would look even better on my bedroom floor."

Lee blushed and Greg laughed. "Do you usually blush on command?"

"Yes," she nodded. "It's a curse."

"It's sexy."

"Ten seconds! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! HAPPY NEW YEAR!" confetti and balloons fell from the rafters as the TVs showed the ball dropping in Times Square. Greg took that time to kiss Lee with all the passion and lust that he felt, hoping she would get the hint. From the way she was kissing him back, she understood and her hands slipped around his waist, pulling him against her body.

They were jostled apart by people running past, kissing everyone in sight. Greg found himself getting kissed by just about every woman in the bar until he finally found Lee and began to pull her out of the room. "I've shared you enough tonight," he said.

But Lee stopped him when they got to the elevator. "Wait, Greg. I need to grab something out of my car. I'll meet you up there."

While he waited, he poured them each a drink, tidied up the living room a little, put dishes in the sink and then turned the stereo on. She came up five minutes later carrying what looked like an overnight bag.

"Wow," he laughed. "And I didn't even have to beg you to stay for a nightcap."

"I'm not exactly in any shape to drive. And since you practically dragged me up by the hair..."

"I did no such thing!" he laughed as he handed her the brandy he poured for her and joined her on the couch.

"Uh, yes you did. But it's okay. I actually liked the whole caveman thing."

"And I like those come fuck me pumps you've got going on," he nodded to the shiny red patent leather heels she wore.

Lee smiled demurely. "I thought you might."

"They're very porn star. I like them. Keep em on."

"Watch a lot of porn, do you?"

"My fair share. Although since I met you, I haven't felt the need to."

"I suppose that's a good thing."

Greg moved closer, took the glass out of her hand and kissed her softly. Lee sighed and sat back against the couch cushions as she enjoyed the heady feeling of Greg's kisses. Not that she had many men to compare him to, but the man could certainly kiss and she felt the heat radiating through her body all the way down to her core.

"You're a good kisser," she whispered as his lips moved to her neck and then across her throat.

"Mhm," he whispered as he pulled her legs up so they were spread across his lap with most of the weight on his good leg, and slid his hand up her thigh to discover she had a garter belt and stockings on. "I was wondering what was under there," he said.

"Do you like it?"

"I like everything," he whispered between kisses to her neck. "Haven't you figured it out by now?"

Lee shrugged and rolled her head to the side to give him better access to her neck and that spot behind her ear made her whole body shiver. Greg didn't disappoint. His lips went directly to it and she sighed as he kissed and nipped at it while his hand continued to stroke her leg.

"How does one get out of this?" he asked as he tugged on the neckline of her dress.

"It fastens at the back of my neck."

"Like this?" he said as he unclasped it and let the straps fall down her shoulders, revealing a very nice pair of breasts. "No bra?"

"Doesn't...really work with this kind of dress," she whispered, a little breathless as his free hand gently touched one of her breasts. "Greg?"

"Hmm?" He was looking at her, studying her, and admiring her very firm and toned body. He wanted that dress off. She could sense it. And he could sense her nervousness and hesitation. "What's wrong now?"

"Nothing. Not really."

He arched his eyebrow. "Something. What is it?"

"I just don't want to rush into anything."

"I didn't think we were. If so, I would've had you in my bed the night you cooked dinner for me."

Now it was her turn to arch her eyebrow at him. "You sound pretty sure of yourself."

"I know physical attraction when I see it."

"Greg," she groaned and sat up. "I think there's something you need to know before we take things further."

He closed his eyes and winced as he said, "you've got AIDS."

"No!"

"You have male parts?"

Lee laughed. "God no."

"Herpes?"

"No!"

"Any STDs?"

"No."

"So what else is there? You can't be a virgin."

"No, not exactly."

Greg blinked. "What's that supposed to mean? You either are or you aren't. There's no middle ground here."

She sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "It's been a long time since I last had sex. It's been a _very_ long dry spell."

"So? I'm not exactly having a bumper crop myself. But you could change that," he leered and reached for her again, but she moved away and he groaned in frustration. "What?"

"I realize you're a man of the world and you've probably had many women..."

"That's an understatement," he muttered. "But do go on," he prompted.

"My sexual past involves one guy."

"Just one?"

"Yep," she nodded.

"How long of a dry spell are we talking here?"

She hesitated and took in a deep breath. "High school."

Greg's eyes widened and he shook his head as if he was trying to clear it. "You're not kidding."

Lee sighed and shook her head. "The jig is up. If you were hoping for someone with more experience you're out of luck."

"Experience doesn't mean anything. You think I care if you don't have any? All I care about is whether or not you're enjoying yourself."

She looked at him skeptically. "Really?"

"Well, yeah. And I'm guessing the sex wasn't very good if you haven't wanted it for twenty years."

"It wasn't that I haven't wanted any, I'm just very selective about who I date. If I'm not feeling it, I won't stick around. But with you," she said as she reached for him and drew invisible patterns on his chest, "I don't know. I like being with you this way. You make me feel sexy and desired."

"That's because you _are_ sexy and very desired," he said quietly as he pulled her closer and kissed her. His tongue slid along her bottom lip and he pushed her back against the arm of the couch, once again placing her legs across his lap so he could stroke her silk stockings. "These are nice. And they make your legs look hot."

Lee blushed and slid her hand down to unbutton his blue shirt. He pulled it off to reveal a black T-shirt with a large snowflake on it, which made her smile. She could see his chest muscles under the shirt and the sight made her mouth water.

"I think maybe we can take this into another room," she whispered as his hands caressed her legs and rubbed the backs of her knees until she didn't think she could stand anymore.

"I think you're right." He pushed her legs off his lap and stood, offered her his hand and they walked into the bedroom together.

* * *

_**Songs that inspired this chapter**_

_What Are You Doing on New Year's Eve_ - The Carpenters

_Always_ - Paul McCartney

_Into Dust_ - Mazzy Star

**_Greg and Lee's outfits for New Year's Eve can be seen on Polyvore_**. _**You should be able to look me up (Retta75) and see what else I come up with :) Posting links here is a pain and they never come up right, even after I try to alter the link.**_


	21. Chapter 21

_**A/N: So now it's my hubby's turn to have this horrid Norovirus. He got it much worse than our son did. So while I play nurse (wiggles eyebrows suggestively) here's some smut for ya :) I figure if I have to suffer, why should you guys?**_

Chapter Twenty-One

January 1, 2013

Greg moved to turn a light on but Lee stopped him. "I like the dark."

"But then I can't see you," he whined as he shoved the dress down over her hips so she could step out of it. He took a breath in at her black garter, panties and stocking set and he felt himself immediately harden. His hands slid down her sides, around her tiny waist and gripped her ass, making her gasp when he squeezed and pulled her up against his arousal. Then his lips crashed down on hers and he backed her up until she hit the bed. He lowered her down onto it, buried his face in the valley of her breasts and kissed each one.

"I...I want to touch you," she said in his ear, as his hands were holding her wrists against the pillow. He let go and she immediately reached down for the hem of his shirt, pulling it up. He stopped laving one of her nipples just long enough to pull it over his head before he resumed.

It was then she realized he was still wearing his pants and his belt buckle was cold and hard against her stomach. "And you're a little over dressed," she giggled.

He let sat up, unbuckled and unzipped and shoved his pants on the floor, keeping his boxers on for the time being. His arms held her against him as they lay side by side on top of the bedspread.

"I like the heels, but you can take 'em off. I don't relish a heel digging into my ass."

Lee laughed and reached down to take them off. She went to unhook the stockings from the garter belt but he stopped her. "Allow me." In a few quick movements, he had all the hooks undone and one of her legs in the air as he gently rolled down the stocking, kissing her leg as he did so, before moving to the other.

All Lee could do was watch him in amazement. The man had mad skills and she felt very inferior and vulnerable at that moment.

Greg sensed her nervousness and wasn't sure what to do next. Naturally, his first move was to get that thong off of her and give her a damn good education about what sex was supposed to feel like. That's what the '_old_' Greg House would have done, anyway.

But for some reason, he didn't want to do that. She deserved a lot better. She deserved something special. Something she'd never forget and he was damn well going to make sure she got it.

"Beautiful," he whispered as he bent down to kiss her. They were soft kisses, so light she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down on top of her as she deepened the kiss. They rolled again so she was on top of him and he smiled dreamily up at her. "Well, now that you have me here, what are you going to do with me?"

Lee giggled. "I haven't the vaguest idea."

"Take your panties off," he instructed, his voice husky.

As she did that, he removed his boxers and pulled the covers open for them to get under them. Then he reached into the drawer of the side table and pulled out a condom.

"You don't have to. I had my tubes tied years ago."

He looked down at her. "I'm clean, got tested a few months back. But I always wear a raincoat."

"I get tested every year. Random drug testing at the precinct. I pay extra for them to test for HIV. Haven't been with anyone since...you know when." She looked up at him and bit her bottom lip. Please, Greg..." she whispered as she took the condom from him and tossed it aside. "I want to feel you. All of you."

It would be strange having sex without protection, after years of doing so, but deep down he knew he could trust Lee with his life. So he nodded and resumed kissing her.

"Just...go slow at first, okay?" she asked as he rolled them one more time so he was on top, his left leg in between her legs.

He nodded, not sure how long he'd be able to go slowly.

When they finally joined, Lee's eyes closed and her back arched. A low moan escaped her throat as he began to move slowly at first. It was the most sensual and erotic moment of his life, and that was saying a lot. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her neck as he gently rocked against her, felt her legs wrap around his hips and squeeze him.

"Oh...my...God..." she finally managed to speak after a few minutes. He was hitting all the right places, varying his speed and intensity, bringing her right to the edge and back again until her nails were digging into his back and she was rocking her hips with his. "Harder...I want it harder..." she moaned.

Greg happily complied and moved faster, stabbing her with long deep thrusts that brought him that much closer. But he knew she was getting there too, felt her inner walls squeezing.

"Let go, Lee," he whispered in her ear, sensing that she was holding back for whatever reason.

"I can't..."

"Yes you can." His mouth crashed against hers, swallowing her cries as he forgot about everything else except how he was feeling at the time. He couldn't explain it, only one word kept popping into his head; Wonderful, wonderful and wonderful again. He slid his hand down to where their bodies joined and glanced down at her. She was watching him as he made love to her. Those dark brown eyes were staring right into his soul and it made him all that much more vulnerable as he backed off a little and stared right back at her.

"Greg..." she whispered as her fingers dug into his hair and pulled him down for another deep kiss. Her body started shaking and trembling as he worked his free hand to bring her over the edge that much faster because he knew he was close and he wanted her to fall over that edge with him.

"Lee...let go...go over..." he whispered before kissing her one last time as she arched her back, curled her toes and cried out his name against his lips.

He felt the warm flood of moisture and that was his undoing. Fireworks exploded behind his eyelids as he collapsed on her, kissing her throat and nipping her neck. His arms slipped underneath her back and he held her against his chest as he rolled onto his side, taking the weight off his leg.

For a few minutes, neither of them said anything. But when he grew soft and slipped out of her, they both sighed with contentment but also at the loss of warmth between them once they were no longer joined.

XXX

Greg didn't know how long he'd been asleep, but it must have been a long time, if the sunlight flickering through the curtains was any indication. He turned his head and saw Lee fast asleep next to him, the blankets pulled up to her neck, her hair fanned out on the pillow like an angel. His cock twitched at the sight of her, knowing she was naked under there, as he was, and he wondered what she'd do if he reached for her.

But then she stirred, moistened her lips and stretched luxuriously, arms over her head until her hands hit the headboard behind her and her eyes opened. She glanced around the room frantically until she saw Greg, and then she smiled.

"Morning," she whispered.

"Yes, it is."

"What time is it?"

He glanced over her to look at the time. "It's only seven-thirty. God knows I could easily sleep another three hours."

Lee glanced down towards the obvious tent under the covers and bit her lip in amusement. "Uhh, not with that, you're not."

He laughed and pulled her into his arms once again, kissing her temple as she rested her cheek against his chest.

She could hear the steady beat of his heart and it almost lulled her to sleep again until he spoke.

"So was it worth waiting twenty years?"

She smiled and glanced up at him. "I think you've ruined me for any other man."

"Then my job is done," he smirked.

"No, I'm serious. My first time was nothing like that."

"What was it like?"

"It was in the backseat of a Mustang. Need I say more?"

Greg shrugged. "At least it was a hot car. Better than losing it in a Chevy pick-up or something."

"It also didn't last very long."

"Wham, bam, thank-you ma'am, huh?"

"Yeah, that's about the size of it. But last night..." she said as she snuggled up to him, "was everything I always imagined sex should be. Even more so." She glanced up at him. "You are an amazing man, Greg."

"Oh stop," he laughed. "You're making me blush."

"It's true."

She glanced up at him again and he was still looking at her. "You're not going to leave now, are you?" she asked.

"The bed? No."

"Leave town, I mean. I was worried that you would now that I know your secret."

"I wasn't planning on it. I'm tired of running. And I've always wanted to visit here. Now I have a reason to stay," he said, giving her a slight squeeze. "I'm just worried that..."

"What?"

"Jon. Do you think he'd do some digging of his own about me?"

"I doubt it," Lee shook her head. "He's too busy hitting on the new HR girl. I'll keep my eye out though. I think he's moved on and doesn't care about me, or you for that matter."

Greg nodded. "I hope you're right."

His stomach chose that moment to growl and he chuckled. "I think that means it's breakfast time."

"Do you have anything to make breakfast with?"

"Nope."

"Then I say we get dressed and go downstairs to eat."

He arched his eyebrow. "You want your old man to know that you spent the night with me?"

"He probably already knows, since my car's been outside all night."

"He's not gonna like...get out the shotgun is he?"

Lee laughed and playfully smacked his chest before getting up. "This might be the deep south but no, my dad doesn't own a shotgun."

"That's a relief."

He got up and let her use the bathroom first while he got dressed. She came out a few minutes later dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt and he winked at her as he went past so he could shave and brush his teeth.

When they were ready, she reached for his hand, he reached for his cane and they headed downstairs for breakfast.

X X X

It was late and he had been dozing on the couch when there was a knock at his door. Glancing at his watch he saw that it was after midnight.

As soon as he opened the door, Lee practically jumped into his arms and peppered his face with kisses.

"I thought I'd never get off!" she groaned as he kissed her back and shoved her up against the wall as his hands reached down to unbuckle her gun belt.

"And you want to get off now, is that what you're saying?" he laughed as he unbuttoned her shirt and shoved it off her shoulders in his haste to get his hands on her breasts. They were the perfect size; not small, but not too big either. She groaned when she felt his hands on her and reached around to unsnap her bra so it, too, fell off her shoulders as she tugged on the hem of his T-shirt to pull it off.

He pulled his lips from hers just long enough to get his shirt off and resumed kissing her.

"Greg...I couldn't stop thinking about you all day..." she whispered as they moved across the room but stopped at the couch, falling breathlessly onto it as they removed the rest of their clothes.

"Oh yeah? What were you thinking about?" He grunted as she climbed on top of him, being mindful of his leg, and rubbed herself against his very stiff cock.

"This," she said as she positioned herself and sank down on him.

"Mmm...that must've been...very distracting," he grunted as he gripped her hips and held onto her.

"You have no idea."

She rode him slowly, setting her own pace for awhile, but when things heated up, she moved faster, as he bucked up into her, letting his hands go from playing with her breasts to stroking where their bodies joined until she was screaming his name and convulsing from the sheer force of her orgasm.

"Ya know, for a guy with a bad leg, you don't seem to have any problems in the sex department."

Greg laughed as she gently climbed off of him.

"I've learned to live with my limitations and work them to my advantage."

He thought they were going to bed, but she was already redressing. "What? You're not staying?"

"No. I have to get home. I'm on call tonight."

"But you just worked a shift."

"Not a whole shift. I was called in to pick up the slack."

"Why can't you just stay here tonight then? They can call your cell," he said as he took her hand and started pulling her in the direction of the bedroom.

"I can't Greg. If I get a call in the middle of the night I don't want to wake you."

He sighed in frustration. "Oh. So you just came to get a piece and leave? Nice, Lee. Way to make a guy feel wanted."

"That's not it."

"Then what is it?"

"I just wanted to see you."

"And get laid."

"You make it sound so cheap."

"You're the one making it cheap by leaving right after. Why don't you slap a fifty on the nightstand before you go?"

He was prepared for the smack in the face, but he wasn't expecting its ferocity, and he almost lost his footing.

"You're way out of line, Greg," she said softly as she threw on her jacket and grabbed her keys.

He watched her go and then gathered his clothes and went to bed.

"_Well, wonders will never cease."_

Greg groaned into the darkness. "Go away and haunt someone else. I'm trying to sleep."

"_Big bad Dr. House is in L-O-V-E."_

"Go to hell."

"_Aww what's the matter? You two have a lovers spat?" _Wilson cooed, and then laughed_._

"We were supposed to have dinner. She got called in."

"_Suck it up, buttercup. You're dating a cop. If you were still a doctor, it would be the same."_

"Doesn't mean I have to like it. Now go away."

"_So what are ya gonna buy her?"_

Greg blinked. "Buy her? Why?"

"_You have to apologize. She was right you know. You were out of line. And Valentine's Day is next month. You should do something. Something unexpected."_

He cocked his head to one side. "Reverse cowgirl?"

"_No, you moron. I mean take her out. The pressure's on, House. Don't choke."_

"We haven't talked about any of that. When you stop to think about it, we've only known each other for a little over a month."

_"And you're already sleeping together."_

"Once. Twice if you count that quickie on the couch just now. It doesn't officially enter the 'sleeping together' stage until we've been doing it for at least a week."

_"Uh-huh. So when are you going to see her again?"_

"Don't know, don't care."

_"Well, you're full of conversation tonight, aren't you?"_

"I'm trying to sleep!" Greg shouted. "Now go away. Or I'll find some local voodoo priest to exorcise you."

_"Okay, fine. G'night, House."_

"G'night Wilson."


	22. Chapter 22

_**A/N: Well, my wishes of NOT getting the nasty stomach flu went unanswered. It hit me just about 24 hours after my hubby got it. We were both in a bad way this weekend. Needless to say, I'm glad I'm ahead a bit because I haven't been able to write anything. So I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm not sure when the next update will be. This flu literally knocked me on my ass.**_

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

"What's wrong, kiddo?" Bob asked his daughter as she showed up to tend bar a week later, looking like someone shot her dog.

"Nothing."

"Right. Do you know what's up with Greg? He's not playing with the band tonight."

Lee shrugged. "I don't know and I don't care. I don't spend every waking minute with the man!" she snapped, causing her father to back away.

"The guy is a bit of a jerk, granted. But I'm sure whatever he said or did, he didn't mean it."

"Right, because he never does things to hurt people," Lee grumbled as she put her apron on and went to work.

Meanwhile, Greg knew Lee was downstairs. All he had to do was look outside to see her black car parked out front. He contemplated going down there anyway, even though he felt like the biggest jerk alive. He pushed the limits too hard and now Lee wasn't speaking to him.

He could hear the music playing downstairs and really wanted to be down there with the band, but a nasty bout of the flu kept him in bed for the last few days.

Aside from that, he missed Lee. It had been a week since their fight and as much as he wanted her to come to him and apologize for slapping his face, he had no intention of apologizing for being himself. If she wanted to keep seeing him, she'd have to toughen up. With a nod, he decided to go downstairs and tell her just that. Then he was going to join the guys and play with them.

When he entered the bar, the guys were playing a song by the Nylons and they sang very well together without any accompaniment. However, he smirked at the choice of songs for that particular moment. He went to the bar and smacked it with his hand. "What does a man have to do to get a drink around here?" he said loudly, and then grinned when Lee glared at him.

"Unless you want to wear said drink, I suggest you behave yourself." Her voice was deep and the tone chilly. But when she looked at him, she frowned. He'd lost weight, and he looked exhausted.

"Oh come on now, sweet cheeks. Don't tell me you're still mad."

"Damn right I'm mad! Why do you have to say things like that? Why do you constantly have to test limits?"

"Because it's what I do," he said with a shrug as she placed a bottle of beer in front of him.

"I don't suppose you apologize, either, do you?"

"Not if I can help it. Besides, what do I have to apologize for? You slapped me, remember? And it left a nice handprint on my face."

"What you said was...just mean."

He shook his head and took a long swig of the beer she placed in front of him. "This is the only me you get. Suck it up, buttercup."

There was silence between them for awhile as he listened to the band. "They sound good tonight."

"They'd sound better with their top keyboard player. Why did you call in? You're obviously not sick."

"Shows what you know. Stomach flu. Not pretty."

"Oh."

"But I might play a little later."

"Good. I like it when you play."

They looked at each other and the sexual tension between them was escalating. "Did you want to come upstairs and...talk about it?"

"Maybe later. I need to work the bar for awhile. Jen called in sick, and I got off early so I stepped in. It'll settle down though. We can _talk_ later."

He nodded. "Okay."

After a couple of hours, and one set on stage with the band, Greg was feeling tired and told Lee he was heading upstairs.

"Do you still want to talk?" she asked.

"That's up to you. I'll be up for another hour and then I'm going to bed. That flu knocked me on my ass. I haven't been sleeping well."

"Oh," she said, sounding disappointed. "Well another time then. Let me know when you're feeling better."

A little disappointed himself, he simply shrugged. "Okay. See ya when I see ya."

X X X

A few days later, a bouquet of assorted flowers arrived to the precinct for Lee. When she returned from her lunch break, she found them sitting on her desk. Her heart began pounding as she searched for the card, read it and blushed.

"Those from _him_?" Jon inquired as he leaned against the wall of her tiny office.

"If by _him_ you mean Greg, then yes, they are. Now go away."

"I can't believe you're still with that old geezer. Can he even get it up?"

"Fuck off."

Jon laughed. "Testy. Someone get up on the wrong side of a cripple's bed this morning?"

She was fast, and she was strong as she shoved him up against the thin wall of her office, her arm across his neck and her elbow pressing into his trachea, choking him.

"Now you listen to me, asshole, and listen good. My personal life is my business. Nobody else's. And you will _not_ call him a cripple, do you understand?"

An officer passing by her office stopped and watched the show.

All Jon could do was nod and try to gasp for air. "Don't ever speak to me again. And if you do, you will address me as Lieutenant Lafayette. No more, no less. You got it?"

Again he nodded and she released her grip only slightly as a bigger crowd had gathered out in the hall.

"Now get out!" She let go of him and gave him a shove out the door. She glared at everyone else and they scattered like mice.

Lee sighed and read the card again. Was sending flowers his way of reaching out to her? Somehow he didn't strike her as the type to do that. But the note on the card inviting her to dinner at his place was more than she could've hoped for, so the flowers were just the icing on the cake. He very well could have just texted or called her and she would've been just as thrilled, but the flowers were beautiful and nobody had ever sent her flowers before.

On that note, she picked up her phone and called him. "The flowers are beautiful, Greg. Thank you."

"What's wrong?" he said immediately. "You sound...down. I thought flowers were supposed to have the opposite effect."

She sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Jon was just being Jon. I took care of his scrawny ass."

"That's my girl," he said, and it made her heart flutter. "So does that mean you're coming over tonight?"

"Yes. I'll be there. Do you need me to bring anything?"

"Red wine. I ended up using most of it for the reduction."

"I see. Okay then. I'm off at five, so once I get home and change I should be there around six. Is that okay?"  
"Yeah. Sounds good." He hung up so abruptly that she wasn't sure if they'd been cut off or he actually ended the call himself. With a shrug she put the phone back on its cradle and thought about what she was going to wear.

XXX

As soon as Lee got out of the elevator, she could smell dinner. She knocked on the door and he answered it, wearing an apron of all things, and she stifled a giggle.

"Never seen a man wearing an apron before?" he asked as he stepped aside to let her in.

"It's not something I pictured you of all people to wear."

"At least it's not some woman's frilly thing," he said as he took the wine she handed him and then helped her hang up her leather jacket. His eyes widened at what she had on and she could tell he was pleased, but he didn't say anything as he headed back over to the kitchen.

"So what's on the menu?" she asked as she leaned over his shoulder to see what he was cooking.

"Blue cheese crusted filet mignon with port wine sauce."

"Wow. Sounds pretty fancy. Does it taste as good as it smells?"

"See for yourself," he said as he took a spoonful of the wine sauce and held it up. She took a taste and he watched her expression as her eyes widened.

"Oh my God. This is amazing! I didn't even know you cooked."

"I took some cooking lessons with Wilson awhile back. Turns out I was good at it. Who knew?"

"That doesn't surprise me. You seem to be amazing in whatever you do."

He glanced at the bottle of wine she brought. "Rodney Strong cab sauv. Very nice. Why don't you open it up? Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes. These filets are kinda big."

Lee nodded and found the corkscrew while Greg threw the steaks into a pan and seared them. "Go have a seat."

"I like to watch you," she said as she leaned against the counter, still wearing her heels. He glanced at her in her blue satin blouse, black pleated skirt and black pumps.

"You know...we're going to fight. That's par for the course when you're dating an insufferable ass like me."

Lee smirked. "You're not insufferable."

He laughed as he turned the steaks over to sear the other side. "My point is, that I'm going to say things and do things that you won't like. You're going to have to learn to ignore it." When the steaks were done to his liking, he put them in the oven and set the timer for seven minutes. Then he pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. "I can't apologize for who I am."

"I wasn't going to ask you to. It just...seemed to come out of nowhere."

"Well that's me, Mr. Unpredictable."

"I like that. I like the way you keep me on my toes. And I'm sorry I didn't stick around that night but I needed to be near the scanner."

He nodded and gently touched her cheek with the backs of his fingers before tilting her chin up and kissing her. "You know what I like best about fights though?"

"Mhm?" she murmured as she returned his kisses.

"Making up."

"I can't say I've had to do that but it sounds good to me."

"But after dinner. I'm starving," he said as he stepped away from her when the timer went off. He turned the steaks over and put them back in the oven for another seven minutes. "Why don't you pour the wine and light the candles?"

"Ooo candles. You went all out. You're one of those closet romantics, aren't you?"

"Shhh. Don't tell anyone. I have a rep to protect."

"No you don't, Greg," she laughed as she took the wine and poured them each a glass. "At least not anymore. You've pretty much wiped the slate clean when you "died." Nobody knows the man you used to be. They just know you as Greg Lazarus, a wandering nomad musician from wherever. You haven't yet shown me this supposed badass attitude you have."

He leered at her. "Would you like me to? It could be arranged."

"No, it's quite alright," she laughed. "I'll settled for the softer, mellower version that I've fallen in love with."

Greg cocked his head to one side in amusement as she blushed and silently wished she could take back what she just said.

The timer dinged and he smirked. "Saved by the bell. Go sit down," he said and went back into the kitchen to put the finishing touches on dinner.

Lee took a large gulp of wine when Greg came back in and put a plate in front of her. If she didn't know better, she would've thought she was in a five star restaurant. The filet sat on a bed of mashed potatoes, and a generous dollop of the panko crumb and blue cheese mixture covered it. There was also a light drizzle of the port wine reduction all around the plate. It was a culinary masterpiece and she almost didn't want to eat it. There was also some garlic bread that looked homemade.

"Wow. I want this recipe," she said as she cut into the steak, took a bite and moaned. "Oh my god."

"Allrecipes dot com." Greg grinned proudly at her as he took a bite himself, pleased with the result. "I hope it's done enough for you."

"It's perfect," Lee said with her mouth half full. "I like it pink inside."

The look he gave her made her very warm and she reached for her glass of wine, hoping it would help clear her head. But it only made her feel hotter. They ate in relative silence and when they were done, he offered dessert.

"Maybe later. I'm completely stuffed."

"It was all the garlic bread you ate."

"It was good."

She helped him clear the dishes and put them away and then they cuddled on the couch listening to some mellow blues that played softly.

"So about this make-up sex," Greg said as he kissed and nibbled her ear.

"There's something I've always wanted to do," she whispered.

"Tell me."

"Make love in front of a crackling fire. On the floor."

Greg's eyebrow shot up. "On the floor? Not sure my bum leg could handle that for too long."

"Not even if we put down some blankets and pillows?" she whispered between kisses along his jaw.

"Mhm...well..." the things she was doing made it very hard for him to think. "I guess...we could give it a try."

Lee grinned and ran into his bedroom, returning with two pillows and his comforter. She made a bed on the floor and then, as he watched, changed the music station and began to dance slowly for him.

"Now that's hot," he said as he watched her with interest as she slid her hands down the front of her blouse, over the swell of her breasts and across her stomach where she stopped at the waistband of her skirt.

"Keep going," he urged as he shifted his position on the couch, his jeans suddenly feeling tighter. She grabbed the hem of her blouse, pulled it over her head and tossed it to him, revealing a turquoise blue and black lace bra. "Does the downstairs match?"

"I guess you'll have to wait and see, won't you? Now be a good boy and just watch," she said as she slid her hands down her sides and inched up her skirt a little. He tilted his head like he was trying to get a peek under there but she stepped away before he could reach for her. "Bad boy."

She wasn't quick enough that time because he reached for her and pulled her to stand between his legs.

"You like it when I'm bad. Maybe I need to use your handcuffs on you. Overpower you just a little," he said with a grin.

"Maybe next time," she giggled as he slipped his hands down the back of her skirt. He unclasped the hook and the skirt fell to the floor to reveal the panties did indeed match the bra and he felt himself rise to the occasion.

Lee tugged on his hand to pull him down onto the makeshift bed and straddled his hips. Her hands gently stroked his face and then slid down to unbutton his blue shirt. The skull T-shirt he wore underneath was next to come off, and then she moved down to his belt.

"Lee...what're you doing?" he asked as he watched her unzip his jeans and pull them down his legs. His arousal was quite obvious and she took a deep breath in when she touched it through the fabric of his shorts.

"Nothing yet," she whispered as she freed his cock from its confines and gently stroked it up and down.

He felt her warm breath against his thigh as she placed gentle kisses on his scar. "Lee...don't..." he whispered as he glanced up at her with fear in his eyes.

"Greg, it's okay. It's just a scar, and even though it's part of you, it's doesn't define who you are. And no matter what it looks like, I'll love you anyway."

There was that word again. For the second time that night. He couldn't resist. He had to say something, but then she bent over and took him into her mouth, earning a deep groan from Greg as he lay his head back against the pillows and closed his eyes.

He wondered if she had been putting him on all this time about being inexperienced because she certainly had some talent. He reached down and grabbed a fistful of her long brown hair and urged her to go faster, which she did and he felt her chuckle. The vibrations from that made him groan a little louder and he began thrusting his hips.

"Lee...oh God..." were the only words that came to his mind. However, he didn't want things to end that way so he tapped her on the chin and she glanced up. "C'mere," he managed to croak. As soon as she released him, he rolled them over, quickly pulled off her panties with one tug and slid his length inside of her.

Lee gasped and gripped his shoulders as he moved on top of her. It was as if he suddenly got his second wind because there was no stopping him. He looked down at her, smiled and then kissed her, hoping she could feel the emotion and passion that he felt.

He slid his arms underneath her as his speed quickened and she met him with each thrust of her own hips until they both fell over the edge, clutching each other close until it was all over and they were reduced to a sweaty mess on the floor.

"A girl could get used to this," Lee whispered as she softly kissed his ear.

"Be careful. I'm an old man, after all," he panted, still trying to catch his breath.

"Yeah but you've still got the stamina of a much younger one. Bum leg my ass."

Greg couldn't help the grin that crossed his face as Lee pulled the throw blanket from the couch and spread it over them as they fell asleep in front of the warm fire.

* * *

**Songs Used:**

**_(Na-na-hey hey) Kiss Him Goodbye_ - The Nylons**

**_Diamonds_ - Rihanna**

**_Into Dust_ - Mazzy Star**


	23. Chapter 23

_**A/N: A quick shout of thanks to Brighid45 for her help with one of the scenes in this chapter. She's just begun a new story in her Treatment Series. I highly recommend it.**_

_**Also, I'm not a lawyer, nor do I have time/patience to look stuff up. Any mistakes are my own. My knowledge, or lack thereof, comes from the Criminology classes I took in college 20 years ago. So just accept it for what it is and enjoy.**_

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

"Welp, my work is done here," Wilson cheerily announced as Greg slowly began to awaken.

"Huh?"

"You don't need me talking in your ear anymore, House. You're well on your way to a happy ending. You have Lee. She'll take care of you and you'll take good care of her."

Greg's eyes opened and he sat up, looking around for Lee, and remembering that she had to leave early in the morning for work.

"It's okay, she's not here. She left for work three hours ago."

"Why are you going? Why now?" Greg asked, almost pleading.

"Because I was never planning to stay this long. I just wanted to make sure you got back on your feet. And you did. You have a life here and it's going to be great. I have faith in you, House. You won't screw this up."

"How do you know?" he snapped. "It's what I do."

"Lee's a tough cookie. She won't let you get away with anything. And if you do screw up, all you have to do is apologize."

Greg snorted in amusement, even though he knew Wilson was right. Wilson was always right. God damn him!

"So...what? You're just going to...what is it they say? Cross over? Walk into the light?"

He could hear Wilson chuckle. "Yeah, something like that. But I'll be waiting for you at the pearly gates. I'm hoping that's a long way off, yet."

Greg could've sworn he felt pressure on his shoulder, like someone was pressing down on it. His eyes began to sting but he blinked and turned away. "If you're gonna go, then just go! And say hi to Cut-Throat Bitch for me."

"House, come on. Don't make this harder than it has to be. You're getting what you want. You're getting to say goodbye for real this time. I'm not sending you for a glass of water or giving some kind of a distraction to get you out of the room..."

"That was a dirty trick, you know," Greg muttered indignantly.

"I know. And I'm sorry. I just thought it would be easier."

"How?" Greg shouted. "How would that've been easy for me? Not being there with you when you took your last breath! Not able to say any last words to you as you did? You cheated me out of that chance."

There was a pause. "Say them now then."

"No. The moment is gone now. Just get out!"

There was a cool breeze and Greg stood there in the empty apartment, which, again, seemed even emptier than it had before. Somehow he'd always felt Wilson watching over him. Now there wasn't even that. Wilson was gone, and Greg was once again alone.

X X X

Sarah sat in the restaurant, dialed Greg's number again but there was still no answer. She wondered if he'd since gotten a new cell phone. It wouldn't surprise her. New life, new town, why not a new phone?

So where was he? New Orleans was a big city, but surely he wouldn't be too hard to find. But she'd been in town for three days now and so far hadn't had any luck tracking him down.

"This place sucks," she overheard someone say at the next table. "Let's go over to Bob's. They've got that good looking piano player with the blue eyes. Way better music."

That caught Sarah's attention and she tossed her cash on the table to pay the check and went out to the parking lot to her car. She watched the two women get into their car and followed them to the other end of town.

The place was packed but she had no problem finding a single table in the back and her heart fluttered when she caught a glimpse of Greg on stage with the band, sitting at the electric keyboard. He looked good. It had been a few months since she'd seen him but he looked well. Very well, in fact, and something stirred deep inside of her when she thought back to that Thanksgiving weekend they spent together.

When the band quit for the night, he stayed at the piano, playing some soft jazz until the bar started to clear out. Once she figured it was safe enough, she got up and made her way over to the stage area.

Taking a deep breath, she said, "play Misty for me?"

Greg's head snapped in her direction and he looked like he'd seen a ghost. She looked pretty much the same except she was now a brunette. From a distance, she reminded him of Dominika, his fake wife. "Sarah? What...what are you doing here?"

"You said if I ever made it down here I should look you up. So here I am. I couldn't get a hold of you on your cell."

He scratched his forehead with his thumb and she frowned. He seemed very on edge. Wasn't he happy to see her?

"Greg? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He glanced at his watch and over at the bar. Bob was in the back cleaning up. "Come on outside. I need some air."

Once out in the parking lot, Greg didn't know what to do or what to say, all he knew was that he needed to send her on her way before Lee got off shift and came over.

"You can't stay here, Sarah," he said.

Her face fell. "Why not?"

"Jeff, for one. He could..."

"He can't."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because he's dead."

He leaned back against a car and shook his head as if he was trying to make sense of what she'd just said. "What happened?"

"He found me. And my parents. He was going to kill them, Greg. And me too. I bought a gun shortly after you left and I carried it with me all the time. When I came home and saw his truck in the driveway, I found him in the house. He'd tied up my parents and he was screaming at them, demanding that they tell him where I was, where you were. He...smacked my mom around pretty good." Her voice was shaky as she told him the events.

"When was this?"

"Last week."

"I'm assuming you didn't think to call the police before going in the house?"

"No. I didn't think of anything. I was expecting to find some kind of a blood bath. I was relieved to find my parents still alive. They wouldn't be if I hadn't taken matters into my own hands. He wasn't expecting me to have a gun. And he was drunk. My reflexes were better than his."

Greg placed his hands on her shoulders. "Sarah, you have to go to the Police. The longer you run, the harder it will be when they find you. And they will. Besides, you can claim self defense. He abused you for years. They'll find witnesses to testify to that. You won't do much time."

"I don't want to do _any_ time, Greg!" she cried and clung to him like a lifeline, sobbing against his shirt.

"Sarah...Sarah, come on," he groaned. "Look, I'm going to put you up at the hotel down the road. It's getting late and I'm tired. I'll come see you tomorrow and we'll talk, okay?"

She sniffed, and looked up at him with sad eyes. "Can't...can't I stay with you?"

"I don't think that's a very good idea. We'll talk tomorrow." He reached into his wallet and pulled out the business card to the hotel he stayed at when he came to town. "Go check in. It's just down at the end of the street. It looks like an old Plantation house. I'll see you in the morning. Get a good night's sleep."

"You're deserting me..." she sniffed.

Greg rolled his eyes. "No! I said I'll help you and I will. But I need time to think about this. Just go."

Sarah nodded and climbed into her car and he watched her drive off. As he headed back up to his apartment, he had a very uneasy feeling. Things were going to turn bad very quickly.

And Wilson was gone.

X X X

"So, how was your day?" Lee picked at her salad. Greg watched her warily.

"Sucked."

"Not gonna ask me how my day was?" She sounded over-bright, too casual.

"Small talk sucks."

Lee glared at him before she smoothed out her features and looked away. "So how about some serious conversation?"

"Talking while you eat gives you gas. You swallow too much air." He stabbed his steak and cut off a hunk, put it in his mouth and chewed, exaggerating the motion.

Lee set down her fork. The glare was back, only worse now.

"Has it occurred to you we might have something to talk about?"

Greg's stomach tightened. "Nope."

Lee leaned forward. "I disagree." She sounded angry now. She took a sip of water and slammed the glass down hard. Greg's head came up to stare at her.

"What's with you?" he demanded.

"I should be asking you the same question."

"Nothing's wrong with me."

Her eyes narrowed. "Are you messing around?"

He laughed. "I'm flattered you think I have the energy. And who do you think I would mess around with? Women aren't exactly throwing themselves at me."

Lee looked down at her plate. "Dad said someone came to talk to you in the bar last week. She was younger than me, dark hair, pretty."

Greg shook his head. "You've got it all wrong, Lee. She's just someone from my past."

"Why didn't you tell me, Greg? I deserve to know."

"Know what?" he shouted.

"That you have a wife!"

"I'm not married! At least, not anymore."

"Are you saying that she's not your wife?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying and you don't know what you're talking about!" He got up from the table, kicking his chair back and went for his jacket. "When you start actually trusting me, believing that I'm not going to lie to you, then we'll talk. Until then, I'm done."

Lee sat at the dinner table and once the tears stopped flowing, put the dishes away and immediately went online to dig up any information she could find. There wasn't much, but there was mention of a Dominika House, who was living in Atlantic City at the moment.

So, if the woman her father saw Greg talking to wasn't his wife like he told her, then who the hell was she? That was what Lee was going to find out.


	24. Chapter 24

_**A/N: I realized I haven't posted this chapter yet haha. I'm so done with this story. This is the last chapter and then a short epilogue will follow. I surprisingly have no ideas in my head at the moment. So until I do, I'll be posting "Convergence" in the meantime while I scan my brain for some kind of plot idea. The one I had a couple months ago kinda fizzled and died. So unless I can breathe some new life into it, it won't get written anytime soon. I greatly appreciate all the reviews and comments. Thank you, my loyal readers. I love you guys!**_

_**Again, I'm not a lawyer or a cop. Any legal mistakes are of my own laziness. This is why this is FICTION.**_

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

_"A nationwide search is still in effect for the wife of slain man, Jeff Tate. His wife, Sarah Tate, is not yet charged, but is wanted for questioning."_ The news report went on but Greg tuned it out.

"Crap," he sighed as he put his dishes in the sink. He grabbed his jacket and went to the hotel to see her. He rapped on the door. "It's me," he called to her. "Let me in."

She opened the door a crack and pulled him inside. "I don't know what to do, Greg. They're looking for me."

"You turn yourself in, that's what. You do _not_ want them to come to you. You have more chance of getting off much lighter if you surrender yourself."

"They'll put me in jail..."

"You don't know that!" he shouted, gripping what was left of his hair in frustration and collapsing on the bed. "But the fact remains that you killed someone, and you have to face the consequences."

"Oh, like you did?" she snapped.

"Not even close to the same thing! I didn't kill anyone. Nobody died. Look, my girlfriend...she's a cop. She can help you. I can only do so much. And I sure as hell can't go into a courtroom and testify."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm supposed to be a dead man. Dead men don't turn up in courtrooms."

"You said you'd help me!"

"I will."

"You expect me to trust a cop?"

"Yes."

"Sorry, but I'm having a hard time believing that. As soon as she finds out who I am, she'll slap the cuffs on me."

"I'll talk to her first. Innocent until proven guilty, remember?"

"But I'm not innocent! Not really. He's dead."

"Because you believed he was going to hurt you and your family. You acted in self defense. With the right lawyer you'll get off scott free."

Sarah nodded but Greg could tell she wasn't as convinced.

X X X

Greg knocked on the door of Lee's apartment and she answered a minute later, wearing just her bathrobe. Her face was flushed and her hair was still damp.

"What is it, Greg?"

"Taking a bath? Without me? Tsk tsk."

"What do you want?"

He gently ran his fingers over her cheek. "Such hostility. Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Why?"

"Because I need to talk to you."

She sighed and stepped back to let him in. As soon as the door closed, he tugged on the tie of her robe and it fell open to reveal an old pair of flannel pajamas. "Hmm...not what I was hoping to find under there. But I can't be lucky all the time."

Lee slapped his hands away and stepped back. "Now is not the time, Greg. I had a bitch of a day and I want nothing more than to go to bed. So whatever you want to say, say it fast."

"I need a favor. Well, more than that. I need your help with something."

Her eyes narrowed and she waited. "Well?"

"I have a friend..."

"The brunette from the bar that you claim isn't your wife?"

"Yeah, her. And she's not my wife. She's half my age. I like my women to look like they've already gone through puberty."

"That's disgusting."

He shrugged. "She's young. And she's in trouble. What do you know about Sarah Tate?"

Lee's eyes widened and she opened her mouth. "_That_ woman is..."

He held up his hand to stop her. "What do you know about her?"

"I know she's in deep shit if she doesn't turn herself in. Shot her hubby execution-style. They're still looking for her. Although, not for much longer it would seem," Lee smirked.

"I didn't come here to wave her in front of your face like a red flag."

"Then why did you come?"

"Sex."

"Sorry, not happening. I'm going to bed, Greg."

"What is your problem?" he shouted. "Why are you being so fucking difficult? She's a friend, Lee. I'm not just going to desert her."

"She must be some friend. You slept with her too, I'll bet."

He shrugged. "It was months ago. It was a distraction, nothing else. Is that what you're so upset about? Well rest assured that I have no intention of doing so again. What do I need her for when I have you?"

"Oh gee, thanks."

"It's true. I don't mess around, if that's what you're implying."

Lee sighed. "I don't know why, but I believe you." She sat down on the couch and sighed. "So what do you need, Greg?"

"I want you not to treat her like a common criminal."

"She killed her husband!"

"But you don't know why."

"Do you?"

"Yes."

"Are you going to tell me?"

"I think it would be best if I let her tell you herself, with a lawyer present. What I'm asking is that when she turns herself in, you don't slap the cuffs on her and shove her into a cell."

"She'll need a damn good lawyer, Greg. I'll give you the name of a few good ones in town."

"Good. Thanks."

"Can I go to bed now, please? I have to be up early tomorrow. Seems I have to bring someone in for questioning."

"You don't even know where she is."

"It's not hard to find someone in this town who doesn't want to be found. I found you, didn't I?"

"Well played, sir. That said, I'm feeling pretty tired myself," he said as he got up and followed her to her bedroom, but she stopped him at the door. "Go home, Greg. I'm serious. I need sleep."

"Lee..." he said as he studied her. "Are we okay?"

"I don't know. I can't think right now. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Remember, no handcuffs. Save them for me," he leered and quickly kissed her forehead before he let himself out.

X X X

The phone rang early the next morning and Greg groaned as he reached for it on the side table. "What?" he shouted into it.

"Greg! It's me."

He sat upright at the sound of Sarah's voice. It was shaky. "What's going on?"

"They stormed my fucking hotel, Greg! Some asshole rookie cop kicked down the door and dragged me out of bed practically by my hair and slammed me up against the wall as he cuffed me, charged me with God knows what and read me my rights. You said that wouldn't happen, Greg! You promised!" she wailed.

He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "You didn't tell them anything did you?"

"No. That's why I'm calling you. I need a lawyer. There's a female cop here who says you're going to get me one."

"I will. Let me make some calls and then I'll come down. In the meantime, say nothing until we get you a lawyer."

"Who is she, Greg?"

"You want to waste your one phone call to ask about my love life?"

"She speaks very well of you. It's a no-brainer. Now find me a damn lawyer so I can get out of here!"

In the background he heard a very familiar male voice say "Time's up sweetie." Then the line went dead.

"Son of a bitch!" he hissed. Brewster. He should've known. The kid needed a high five. In the face. With a chair.

He called Lee next and she answered on the first ring.

"Calm down, Greg. Take a chill pill," she sighed before he even got a word in.

"A chill pill? What are you, twelve? That little pussy! How did he know, Lee? I sure as hell didn't tell anyone, not even you."

"I honestly don't know, Greg, but it doesn't matter now does it? But don't worry. She's in her own little cage, safe from the riff-raff."

"She's not talking without a lawyer. So that little shit ex-partner of yours better not lay a hand on her."

"He won't. He's too scared of me. Get a pen, I'll give you the names and numbers of some good attorneys.

"About fucking time."

"Easy, Greg. I'm doing this as a favor."

"You call this a favor? You promised that little stunt of Brewster's wouldn't happen!"

"I don't have to do this, you know. You asked for my help, and I'm giving it."

"Yeah yeah. The numbers. And then I'm coming down there, I'm going to find Brewster and give my cane a new home."

Lee resisted the urge to giggle. He really sounded pissed, and somehow, unbelievably sexy at the same time. After giving him some names and numbers, he hung up without another word and she sighed. It was going to be a long day. And she was definitely going to need more coffee.

X X X

Greg came by much later than Lee expected him to, just as she was packing up her things for the day.

"Looking a little tired, lieutenant," was all he said as he leaned on his cane in the doorway of her office.

She glanced at the cane and smirked. "Did Brewster give you the slip?"

Greg grinned. "Not until after I recommended a very good proctologist."

"Sick," she chuckled. "You're a sick ticket, Greg."

"It's all part of the package, baby," he grinned and stepped into her office, closing the door behind him and locking it. "And speaking of my package, it's been awhile."

She looked up at him and before she could object, his lips were on hers and he was pushing her back against her desk. She fought him at first, but as soon as his lips slid down her neck and began licking and biting her favorite spot, she forgot why she was even mad at him in the first place. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she pulled him on top of her after his arm swept her desk completely clear of its contents.

"Shouldn't be...doing this..." she murmured between bites and nibbles to his throat as she was now unbuttoning his shirt. It was carelessly tossed to the floor along with her gun belt. Her jeans didn't quite make it off entirely but neither of them seemed to care when he drove himself inside of her and pressed his mouth against hers to muffle her cries.

"Missed you...missed this," he whispered as he drove in and out of her quickly.

"God yes! Greg!" she cried out as she grabbed the edge of the desk and tried to kick her jeans off. He pulled all the way out, yanked her jeans away so she could wrap her legs around his hips. "Fuck! Oh yes...fuck me...just like that. Harder, damnit!"

He chuckled but did what she asked, pounding hard into her as he felt his own end approaching. It was only a couple of minutes more when she hit her climax first, followed quickly by him, and he collapsed against her. When he collected himself, he stood and handed over her clothes. "As hot as this was, my leg is killing me. Gonna come over later?"

"Yeah. I just need to go home first and do some things."

He gently stroked her cheek. "No more fights?"

She sighed and leaned into his palm. "You know we can't promise that, Greg. But I will try. I don't like fighting with you. And I did miss you."

He helped her straighten out her office before he left and found Sarah sitting in the waiting area. "Can I get a ride?" she asked him.

He shrugged and nodded. "Sure."

He took her back to the hotel and joined her in the lounge for a quick drink that she offered to buy him.

Sarah's hand rested on his leg under the table and she smiled at him. "I missed you, Greg."

He placed his hand over hers, then removed it from his thigh. "That's nice. But it doesn't change anything. Look, I'm in a relationship now, and I'm happy. You're young and you're not stupid. You can start over once this whole nightmare is over with."

"And do what? I'm not qualified to do anything."

"You could always go back to school. You seem like a smart girl. I'm sure you wouldn't have a problem finding out what you want to do."

"And with what money?"

"Ask your parents. I'm sure they'd be willing to help you, since you saved their lives."

"Maybe. I just don't know what to do."

"Wait and see what happens in court. Joe said he's not worried and that you've got a strong defense. He's finding people to testify that Jeff was an abusive asshole. The judge will probably just throw it out and off you go into that good night."

"I wish I could be as optimistic as you are."

"That's me. Mr. Optimism." Greg sighed and finished his beer. "Gotta go."

"You're going to see her, aren't you?"

"If by her you're referring to my girlfriend, then yes."

"How old is she?"

"Closer to my age than you are, and let's just leave it at that." He got up and picked up his helmet.

"Well, thank you, Greg. For everything." She pulled him close for a hug but he didn't return it.

"Just stay out of trouble."

She lowered her head and stared at the floor. "I'll try."


	25. Epilogue

_**A/N: Welp, this is it. The end of the road. I hope you've all enjoyed this story. I had a blast with it, even though it didn't turn out the way I originally intended. It was supposed to be a LOT darker with much more angst. My mind had other ideas I guess. I'm happy with the way it turned out though so that's all that matters. Now it's time to move on to something else so I'm stopping it before it suffers so I'm ending it here. I believe I've managed to tie up any loose ends with this epilogue, and I hope you'll be happy with the ending. That said, here it is. Reviews and comments are most welcome, as always :) I'd love to know if you liked the ending I've provided.**_

* * *

**Epilogue**

The headboard smacked hard against the wall repeatedly, no doubt keeping Lee's neighbors awake but neither Lee or Greg really cared. They were too involved in reaching their own happy endings.

Of course, luckily for the neighbors, it didn't take them long. It usually never did, and yet, their lovemaking was always nothing less than spectacular.

"That was amazing," Lee sighed with contentment as she curled up to Greg and rested her cheek against his chest, hearing his rapid heartbeat.

"Always is," he nodded.

"Any regrets?" she asked.

"About what? Keeping the neighbors up and possibly ruining the paint on the walls from the headboard? None."

Lee giggled and placed a kiss on his chest. "You have no idea how happy that makes me. You make me happy, Greg."

"Well that's good, because I can't go back to my old apartment if you get pissed off and kick me to the curb."

"We've made it three months without a major fight. I can only hope it will continue. And you know what I love most? You're self-sacrificing. You took Sarah under your wing and gave her your place without even stopping to think where you were going to go."

Greg chuckled. "That was a gamble on my part. I was banking on the fact that you'd ask me to move in so I wouldn't be homeless. And I did suggest she go back to Kansas and live with her parents, but it's not my fault she fell in love with New Orleans and wanted to go to school here. And I owe Bob a big one for getting her a waitress job."

"He needed more help anyway and she seems to be great at it. Who knew?"

"She's young, pretty and a huge flirt. She makes great tips, and that's good because she's going to need that money to pay Joe for getting her off."

Lee laughed out loud. "Greg, that just sounds so wrong. Besides, I think he's already been paid. Rumor has it her daddy wrote him a nice big cheque."

Greg snorted. "Yeah that sounds like something he'd do. She's got him so wrapped around her little finger it's sickening."

She traced an invisible pattern on his chest. "He's not the only one she's got wrapped around her finger, Greg."

He arched his eyebrow at her. "Oh please."

"I'm serious. You obviously feel something for her, or you wouldn't have helped her out as much as you did. You claim to be this hard ass jerk and you might've been back in the day, but I think you're softening up. Something changed when you lost your best friend. You still do things for the right reasons, and you'll always fight for the cause because it's right. Even if you grumble and complain while doing it."

"Why are you a cop and not a shrink? You would've been damn good at it."

She smiled. "I majored in Psychology at Notre Dame before I decided being a cop would be much more exciting."

"Is it?"

"Mhm," she nodded. "If I'd taken a career in Psychiatry, I wouldn't have met you. Smartest and best decision I ever made. Unfortunately, I had to wait a hell of a long time for you but I knew, always, that my knight in shining armor would come galloping through town one day and that would be it. And I was right."

"How romantic," he chuckled as he rolled his eyes. "You're such a sap."

"Wanna make something of it, tough guy?" she asked as she rolled on top and straddled him.

"Maybe. What did you have in mind?" he smiled up at her as his hands slid up her torso and gently squeezed her breasts. Her nipples hardened immediately.

"A replay of our last session," she whispered as she began kissing and nipping at his neck.

"Except with you on top this time? I can get into that."

"Mm...I do love you, Greg," she purred as she stretched out on top of him and let him fill her, groaning at how good it felt.

"I know," he sighed as he bucked his hips a few times to set a nice, slow rhythm that she easily fell into. "You tell me enough times. It's starting to sink in," he chuckled as he wrapped his arms across her back and pulled her down against him as their lips found each other.

Their lovemaking was slow and sensual, unlike the time before which was feverish and quick, and when it was over, they both cuddled in bed, holding each other close.

He wasn't sure why the thoughts of his best friend drifted into his mind at that moment. There was a sense of finality there. He couldn't explain why, but he almost felt overcome with emotion and sadness for the loss of Wilson and his final words to him that had been anything but friendly. As he lay with Lee asleep in his arms, he sighed.

_You were right, as always_, Greg thought. _Lee and I will take care of each other. I don't have to die alone. I have her and I'm not going to screw it up._

It was a warm, spring day but there was a cool breeze in the room that seemed to come out of nowhere since the windows were all closed in the apartment. It brought a smile to Greg's lips and he nodded, placed a kiss on the top of Lee's head before he too, drifted off to sleep.

For the first time since he could remember, he was finally at peace with himself. And he could live with that.

**The End**


End file.
